Econ Papers Daily / 期刊论文
无形桥梁：数字基础设施、能源转型与能源贫困
Invisible bridge: Digital infrastructure, energy transition, and energy poverty
摘要
We study the effect of digital infrastructure on household energy poverty. We develop a theoretical framework in which digital infrastructure reduces labor-market and information frictions, raising household income and improving access to modern energy technologies. Using the rollout of China’s largest national digital infrastructure program, the Broadband China Pilot (BCP) policy, and multiple micro-household tracking datasets, we find that the policy alleviates household energy poverty by approximately 2.7 percentage points in treated cities. The effect operates mainly through higher off-farm income and improved access to modern energy equipment, and is stronger in poorer and more remote markets. A distinctive rural survey dataset shows that digital connectivity also benefits older households with limited off-farm employment opportunities through neighbor-assisted transfer arrangements involving adult children and nearby connected households, while generating village-level information spillovers in modern energy equipment adoption. The findings highlight the role of digital infrastructure in promoting household energy transition and reducing energy poverty.
中文摘要
我们研究数字基础设施对家庭能源贫困的影响。我们构建了一个理论框架，其中数字基础设施降低劳动力市场和信息摩擦，提高家庭收入并改善对现代能源技术的获取。利用中国最大的国家数字基础设施项目“宽带中国”试点（BCP）政策的推广以及多套微观家庭追踪数据集，我们发现该政策使受处理城市的家庭能源贫困缓解约2.7个百分点。该效应主要通过更高的非农收入和改善对现代能源设备的获取发挥作用，并且在更贫困和更偏远市场中更强。一套独特的农村调查数据集显示，数字连接还通过涉及成年子女和附近已联网家庭的邻里协助转移安排，使非农就业机会有限的老年家庭受益，同时在现代能源设备采用方面产生村级信息溢出。研究结果凸显了数字基础设施在促进家庭能源转型和减少能源贫困方面的作用。