The Impact of Energy Poverty on International Migration: An Econometric Study of Southeastern European Countries

Abstract

This research explores the connection between energy poverty and international migration in seven Southeastern European Countries-Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Türkiye-over the period 2005–2022 using a balanced panel data framework. Indicators of energy poverty are access to electricity and clean cooking fuels, while the net migration rate is used as the dependent variable. To take into account cross-sectional dependence and serial correlation, fixed-effects estimations with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors are used. The findings reveal that facilitating access to clean cooking fuels has a strong impact on migration reduction, which implies that energy poverty alleviation helps to reduce the movement of people driven by deprivation. On the other hand, a higher level of electricity access is associated with an increase in migration, which is interpreted as a migration channel led by development where electrification raises human capital and mobility. The results here emphasize the double function of energy provision in migration changes and call attention to the necessity of combining energy and development policies.

Keywords

• Energy poverty
• international migration
• panel data
• Driscoll-Kraay
• Southeastern Europe.

Enerji Yoksulluğunun Uluslararası Göç Üzerindeki Etkisi: Güneydoğu Avrupa Ülkelerine İlişkin Ekonometrik Bir Çalışma

Öz

Bu araştırma, dengeli bir panel veri çerçevesi kullanarak, 2005-2022 döneminde yedi Güneydoğu Avrupa ülkesinde (Arnavutluk, Bosna Hersek, Karadağ, Kuzey Makedonya, Romanya, Sırbistan ve Türkiye) enerji yoksulluğu ile uluslararası göç arasındaki bağlantıyı incelemektedir. Enerji yoksulluğunun göstergeleri elektrik ve temiz pişirme yakıtlarına erişimdir, bağımlı değişken olarak ise net göç oranı kullanılmaktadır. Kesitsel bağımlılık ve seri korelasyonu hesaba katmak için Driscoll–Kraay standart hataları ile sabit etkiler tahminleri kullanılmıştır. Bulgular, temiz pişirme yakıtlarına erişimin kolaylaştırılmasının göçün azalmasında güçlü bir etkiye sahip olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Bu da enerji yoksulluğunun azaltılmasının yoksulluktan kaynaklanan insan hareketinin azalmasına yardımcı olduğunu göstermektedir. Öte yandan, daha yüksek düzeyde elektrik erişimi, göçün artmasıyla ilişkilidir. Bu durum, elektrifikasyonun insan sermayesini ve hareketliliği artırdığı, kalkınmanın öncülüğündeki bir göç kanalı olarak yorumlanmaktadır. Sonuçlar, göç değişikliklerinde enerji tedarikinin çift işlevini vurgulamakta ve enerji ve kalkınma politikalarının birleştirilmesinin gerekliliğine dikkat çekmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Enerji yoksulluğu
• Uluslararası Göç
• Panel Veri
• Driscoll-Kraay
• Güneydoğu Avrupa

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