Public Sector Intervention in the Energy Sector

Access to modern energy is a central feature of economic and social development. Almost all developing countries need to expand and improve the efficiency of their energy infrastructure. It is difficult to imagine the conditions that would allow the eradication of poverty without adequate and reliable energy supply from electricity and fossil fuels. What role the state should play in this effort is the central concern of this paper. With an understanding of the role of the state, international institutions will be better able to create programs that can assist governments seeking to provide for adequate energy development. We focus primarily on electric power because it is at the center of the policy debate about energy today.