Energy Poverty in Ecuador from a Multidimensional Perspective

Energy poverty is defined as insufficient access to basic energy services necessary for food, lighting, entertainment, education, communication and mobilization. This chapter examines energy poverty in Ecuador, and related inequality gaps, from a multidimensional perspective, using the National Employment, Unemployment and Underemployment Survey (ENEMDU) in its December rounds between 2008 and 2017. An index of its own is proposed following Nussbaumer et al. (Measuring energy poverty: Focusing on what matters. OPHI Working Paper No. 42, 2011), considering six dimensions: food, lighting, appliances, entertainment/education, communication and mobilization; with a total of ten indicators; and gender, geographic area and ethnicity gaps are analyzed. The results indicate a decreasing trend in the energy poverty rate at the national level between 2008 and 2014, attributable to a favorable economic context and changes in public policy. However, starting in 2014, factors such as the fall in oil prices and fiscal austerity policies affected stability, suggesting a close relationship between energy poverty, the economic cycle and public investment. Additionally, it is highlighted that the problem is not only access to electricity, but the availability of the goods necessary to satisfy energy services, highlighting the need for an energy transition that addresses energy poverty considering effective access to renewable energies.