Education Quality and Energy Poverty: Evidence from Chinese Elite Universities

B-Tier
Journal: The Energy Journal
Year: 2025
Volume: 46
Issue: 5
Pages: 25-55

Authors (3)

Haining Wang (not in RePEc) Zhiming Cheng (not in RePEc) Russell Smyth (Monash University)

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Using China’s higher education expansion as a natural experiment, we examine the causal effect of education quality on the proclivity to be in energy poverty. We find that education causes a reduction in the likelihood of being in energy poverty and that the point estimates are largest for those that attended elite universities, followed by those who attended non-elite universities and colleges. This finding is robust to alternative ways of measuring energy poverty, as well as a series of sensitivity checks. We find that cognitive ability, employment status, generalised trust and income mediate the relationship between education and energy poverty. JEL Classification : I23, I32, Q41

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:sae:enejou:v:46:y:2025:i:5:p:25-55
Journal Field
Energy
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25