Publication: Promoting Private Investment in Rural Electrification : The Case of Chile
Date
2000-07
ISSN
Published
2000-07
Author(s)
Jadresic, Alejandro
Abstract
Reform of the energy sector and reform
of subsidies ideally go hand in hand. Structural, ownership,
and regulatory reforms aimed at making services more
efficient should lead to a rethinking of both the delivery
mechanism and the level of subsidy. Chile, one of the
earliest and most thorough energy reformers, has also been
one of the more innovative in restructuring its subsidy
schemes. It has seen electrification as a key measure in
alleviating poverty in rural areas-in 1992 about 47 percent
of its rural population had no access to electricity. Its
rural electrification program includes subsidies designed to
be consistent with the broad principles of energy
reform-decentralization of decisions to the regional and
community level, competition (between technologies as well
as suppliers), and a requirement that all partners in the
process-users and private companies as well as the
state-contribute to the financing of expansion projects. The
short-term result: an increase in rural electrification of
about 50 percent in the first five years of the program.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Jadresic, Alejandro. 2000. Promoting Private Investment in Rural Electrification : The Case of Chile. Viewpoint. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11425 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Report Series
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
-
PublicationCompetition and Poverty(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-04)A literature review shows competition policy reforms can deliver benefits for the poorest households and improve income distribution. A lack of competition in food markets hurts the poorest households the most. Competition in input markets and between buyers helps farmers and small businesses. And more competitive markets bolster job growth over the longer term. More research is needed, however, to better understand the impact of competition reforms and antitrust enforcement on poverty and shared prosperity.
-
PublicationSmall Business Tax Regimes(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-02)Simplified tax regimes for micro and small enterprises in developing countries are intended to facilitate voluntary tax compliance. However, survey evidence suggests that small business taxation based on simplified bookkeeping or turnover is sometimes perceived as too complex for microenterprises in countries with high illiteracy levels. Very simple fixed tax regimes not requiring any books or records tend to be overly popular but prone to abuse. System reforms will require more precise tailoring of the simplified regimes to their target beneficiaries, coupled with strong compliance management to detect and deter abuse. The overall objective of simplified taxation for micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in developing countries is generally to facilitate voluntary tax compliance and remove obstacles in moving toward business formalization and growth.
-
PublicationInvestment Climate in Africa(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-07-01)The World Bank Group has been working on investment climate reform in Sub-Saharan Africa for nearly a decade, a period characterized by dramatic economic growth on the continent. Establishing links between such reform interventions and economic growth, however, is a complex problem. Although this note finds some connection between investment climate reform and economic growth, establishing more concrete evidence of causation will require greater focus at the country level, as well as on small and medium enterprises. This is where investment climate interventions generate change.
-
PublicationExport Competitiveness: Why Domestic Market Competition Matters(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-06)This review of the empirical literature shows that industries with more intense domestic competition will export more. Competition law enforcement can be traced to export performance and is complementary to trade reforms. Pro-competition market regulation that reduces restrictions and promotes competition, where it is viable, is an important determinant for trade. The elimination of barriers to entry and rivalry, and a level playing field in upstream sectors contributes to export competitiveness in downstream manufacturing sectors. In some sectors, effective competition policy can directly lower trade costs.
-
PublicationPrimary Care for the Poor: The Potential of Micro-Health Markets to Improve Care( 2015-01)Much of the primary curative care provided to the poor by the private sector occurs not at large hospitals but at small, single-person clinics. While such micro-health providers increase access, questions persist about quality. Some have argued that the micro-health sector needs to be better regulated. This note cites recent studies in arguing that the micro-health sector needs to be better understood. A more evidence based approach may enable the World Bank Group to better target investments and interventions and help these providers fulfill an important role serving the poor. The following recommendations are made at the conclusion of this paper: (1) Effort, rather than hardware or training, may count the most. (2) Scaling up interventions to improve quality requires understanding and addressing market failures. (3) Changing the way impacts are measured will lead to smarter investments.