Giving more people access to electricity actually slows down a country's move to green energy.
March 19, 2026
Original Paper
Beyond Access: Institutional Drivers of Equitable Energy Distribution and Low-Carbon Inclusive Growth in Sub-Saharan African countries
SSRN · 6437657
The Takeaway
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the push for equitable energy access often creates a 'brown access trap' where governments rely on carbon-heavy sources to meet rapid demand. This reveals a direct conflict between social inclusion goals and climate goals that is only solved by extremely high-quality government institutions.
From the abstract
This study examines the role of institutional quality in advancing low-carbon inclusive growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), moving the debate beyond access to focus on the quality and carbon footprint of energy distribution. Using panel data from 46 SSA countries (2000–2023) and estimating baseline, dynamic mediation, and moderation System GMM models, the findings reveal that while equitable energy distribution (EED) expands coverage, it can initially slow low-carbon inclusive performance due to