Alleviating energy poverty globally: Does digital government matter?

Abstract

Against the context of the global energy crisis and the digital transformation of governance, energy poverty remains a critical global issue, how to effectively leverage digitalization to address energy transitions requires further exploration. Using panel data from 91 countries spanning 2010 to 2019, the alleviating effect of digital government on energy poverty is supported. This observation remains robust even after conducting a range of robustness tests and addressing endogeneity concerns. Of special note, this alleviating effect exhibits marked nonlinear (U-shaped) and differentiated characteristics, with the former showing a diminishing marginal effect as energy poverty intensifies, and the latter showing a more pronounced effect in resource-rich OECD countries. Meanwhile, the relationship between digital government and energy poverty is moderated by government efficiency and financial development. Mechanism analysis reveals that digital government alleviates energy poverty through technological effects and informational effects rather than scale effects. The findings offer new insights into alleviating energy poverty in the context of digitalization, highlighting the importance of digital government in the global energy governance framework. In addition, it provides practical evidence for countries with different resource endowments to tailor sustainable development goals based on their specific situations.