世界银行-市场摩擦在预付费电力需求中的作用（英）

Policy Research Working Paper11097The Role of Market Frictions in Demand for Prepaid ElectricityMegan LangDevelopment Economics Development Research GroupApril 2025 A verified reproducibility package for this paper is available at http://reproducibility.worldbank.org, click here for direct access. Public Disclosure AuthorizedPublic Disclosure AuthorizedPublic Disclosure AuthorizedPublic Disclosure AuthorizedProduced by the Research Support TeamAbstractThe Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.Policy Research Working Paper 11097Prepaid electricity contracts lower enforcement costs but may burden consumers, particularly when market frictions are present. This paper presents the results of a randomized control trial where 2,000 randomly selected, rural Rwan-dese consumers were offered a line of credit for electricity payments. The line of credit lowered liquidity constraints and transaction costs. Twenty percent of consumers borrowed and demand for the credit was inelastic; however, the line of credit did not change average demand for elec-tricity. Detailed administrative data reveal that consumers primarily used the line of credit to lower transaction costs, suggesting that rural consumers highly value convenience. The results highlight potential Pareto improvements from more flexible prepaid contracts.This paper is a product of the Development Research Group, Development Economics. It is part of a larger effort by the World Bank to provide open access to its research and make a contribution to development policy discussions around the world. Policy Research Working Papers are also posted on the Web at http://www.worldbank.org/prwp. The author may be contacted at mlang@worldbank.org. A verified reproducibility package for this paper is available at http://reproducibility.worldbank.org, click here for direct access. POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPERSTRANSPARENTANALYSISThe Role of Market Frictions in Demand for Prepaid ElectricityMegan Lang∗Keywords: Prepaid electricity, liquidity constraints, transaction costs, solar.JEL Codes: D12, O12, O13∗Economist,WorldBankDevelopmentResearchGroup.Correspondencemaybesenttomlang@worldbank.org. This project was supported with a grant from the International Growth Centre,project number 38432. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the authors andsh