Resilience to Economic Shocks Through Continued Electricity Access: Evidence from Kenya (Questionnaire)
Abstract
As COVID-19 spreads in lower-income countries, electricity access will be critical for households and firms to continue productive activities, maintain economic connections, and stay up-to-date on the latest public health guidelines. Meanwhile, public health restrictions may cause severe economic impacts, particularly in the poorest areas. We are providing emergency electricity credits to low-income respondents in Kenya to study the impacts of a utility bill subsidy during this crisis. Our research leverages two ongoing projects on electricity access in 7 counties in rural Kenya. We will complement this with a new set of urban residents in Nairobi, giving us a sample of over 2,000 households and firms with pre-paid meters. The treatment group will receive 3 monthly top-ups, each valued at 5 USD (30 kWh), enough to operate a modest set of appliances for a month. We will offer a subset of participants a choice between 5 USD in electricity subsidies or a randomized cash amount between 1-6 USD (we are currently piloting to inform the exact amount). This will allow us to estimate the willingness to pay for electricity access and the value of electricity during an economic crisis.
Questionnaire Description
Survey instrument for households and firms to study impacts of electricity subsidies in rural Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic
Respondent Population Characteristics
Adults, Households, Farmers, Small and medium business owners
Implementing Organization
REMIT Kenya
Project Data Collection Mode
- CATI (Computer-assisted telephone interviewing)
Researchers (*corresponding author)
Susanna B. Berkouwer, Eric Hsu, Oliver W. Kim, Kenneth Y. Lee, Edward Miguel, Catherine D. Wolfram
Partners
Questionnaire Usage Notes
Google Sheet access requires request for permission
Questionnaire File Type
Coded form
Questionnaire Language(s)
English, Kiswahili, Luo
Questionnaire Usage Permissions
Do not use without corresponding author's permission
Questionnaire Stage
Data Collection in Progress