Does Rural Household Electrification Improve Education in the Global South? Evidence from a Robust Bayesian Meta-Analysis

Lack of access to modern electrification limits educational progress, highlighting the critical role of energy interventions in advancing educational outcomes, particularly in developing countries. Despite increasing interest in this topic, the causal effects of energy interventions on educational outcomes in developing countries remain largely inconclusive. This paper consolidates existing evidence by conducting a meta-analysis of 33 studies using robust Bayesian model averaging methods, synthesizing 301 effect sizes. We evaluate the impact of modern energy interventions—including rural household electrification (RHE) and solar electrification—on nine distinct educational outcomes. Our findings indicate that these interventions substantially improve educational outcomes, particularly for children, with an average increase of 15.4 percentage points in key metrics such as educational attainment, school enrolment, and daily study hours. Specifically, RHE increases children’s daily study hours by 55 minutes and enhances lifetime earnings potential through additional schooling years, while solar electrification yields a 42-minute increase in study hours. However, effects on adult literacy and learning outcomes are weaker, suggesting that energy access must be complemented by targeted educational interventions. Heterogeneity in effect sizes underscores the importance of contextual factors, such as geography and demographics. Importantly, we detect no significant publication bias, and Hamiltonian Markov Chain meta-regressions reveal that household-level experimental designs yield more reliable estimates. These results highlight the transformative role of modern energy infrastructure in bridging educational gaps and fostering sustainable development. Policymakers are encouraged to prioritize investments in rural electrification and integrate energy access with broader educational and economic strategies, such as pairing electrification with enrolment and adult literacy programs to maximize impact. JEL Classification : P18, Q40, Q41, Q42, Q48, I00, I24