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Language
English (en)
Date of Award
5-7-2013
Author's Department
International and Area Studies
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Restricted/Unrestricted
Restricted
Abstract
To achieve universal electricity access, the Brazilian government initiated the Luz Para Todos (Light for All) electrification program in 2003. The objective of Luz Para Todos was not only to provide full electricity access to the rural population in Brazil, but also to improve the overall quality of life in rural areas. The state of Bahia contained the largest rural population in Brazil and has historically lagged behind national averages of human development indicators. Recent energy development literature has identified the significance of isolating the effect of electrification on development indicators, such as income, education, and infrastructure, in order to determine if large-scale electrification interventions like Luz Para Todos achieve their intended impact. This thesis assesses if increased electricity access was correlated with rural development in Bahia in 2010, following the completion of the first phase of Luz Para Todos. An econometrics approached was used to analyze data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IGBE) on access to electricity and infrastructure, income, and education levels for 414 of Bahia’s municipalities. Results suggest that access to electricity could be associated with infrastructure, income, and education, as it was positively correlated with access to water supply, access to trash disposal, and household income and negatively correlated with illiteracy. These findings support the role of electricity access through Luz Para Todos as a means to further rural development in Bahia.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7936/sqr0-hs05
Mentor
Guillermo Rosas
Additional Advisors
Priscilla Song
Recommended Citation
Mok, Karen, "The Relationship Between Luz Para Todos Electrification and Rural Development in Bahia, Brazil" (2013). Senior Honors Papers / Undergraduate Theses. 164.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.7936/sqr0-hs05
Comments
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