Paper short abstract:

This paper analyses the consequences of war on people's access to energy, energy poverty, and its correlates in terms of well-being. Based on survey data for 2006 and 2009, we conduct a panel analysis of the relations between capabilities and energy poverty in Georgia.

Paper long abstract:

Georgia has faced a war from Russia in August 2008. This paper investigates how this war has affected people’s daily lives, particularly in terms of access to energy and energy poverty. Energy poverty, a condition associated with discomfort and difficulties such as inadequate housing, health problems, and material deprivation, can be related to the capability approach that focuses on peoples’ opportunities to live a good life. We explore the extent to which the opportunities for the Georgian population to live a good life are associated with energy poverty, which we estimate based on their perceptions of their budget and their difficulties in accessing energy services. We then examine the drivers of energy poverty evolutions from 2006 to 2009.

Two surveys (2006, 2009) allow to follow the situations of households, their perceptions of their energy access problems, health, and of the extent of social support they receive. These data were used to develop a measurement method of energy poverty and a set of capability indicators. We analysed different groups of households according to their energy poverty status, their socio-demographic characteristics, and their capabilities.

The prevalence of energy poverty was high in Georgia in the early 2000’s and many households were severely energy poor. Energy poverty was related to a combination of low income for a large proportion of the population, of low energy efficiency of buildings and of a lack of access to reliable energy infrastructure. It was more prevalent in rural areas, probably due to the use of wood as a heating fuel.

Our capability approach using quantitative methods appears relevant for understanding energy poverty and its dynamics: our capability variables provide more robust predictions of energy poverty dynamics than the socio-demographic variables traditionally used in energy poverty analyses. In particular, peoples’ capabilities are strongly related to their ability to escape energy poverty or, on the contrary, to the risk of worsening their energy poverty status and of falling into severe energy poverty.

Our analysis of the co-evolution of energy poverty and capabilities during a military conflict also contributes to a better understanding of energy poverty in a context of crisis. We show that in this context, all groups of households faced a high risk of deterioration in their energy poverty situation, while households that were already the most energy poor in 2006 were in energy poverty traps.

Keywords: Energy poverty, Capabilities, Panel data, War, Rural, Georgia