Matías Fontenla

Electricity, income, and quality of life

Abstract This paper looks at the effect of electricity on income, education, health, and labor productivity in Nepal. Our data comes from the Nepal Living Standards Survey-III, conducted in 2010–2011. To account for endogeneity issues, we estimate a simultaneous system of equations via the three-stage least squares (3SLS) method. We find that a household being connected to electricity has a very large and significant effect on income, educational attainment, and agricultural productivity. We find a positive but not significant effect of electricity on health. The effect of electricity on income is measured both directly and through the intermediaries of education, health, and agricultural productivity. The highly significant magnitude of electricitys impact on quality of life makes a powerful argument for the importance of including energy poverty in the development conversation.

Determinants of housing expenditure in Mexico

Few studies estimate housing demand for developing countries. We contribute to the literature by estimating housing demand in Mexico, and analysing its main determinants. An advantage of this study is the use of market-based data of actual housing transactions. Our results show a strong positive influence of permanent and temporary income on housing demand.

The Mexican Dream? The effect of return migrants on hometown development

Abstract Mexican migrants are returning to their homeland at record rates. Along with material goods, these former migrants may bring with them new ways of thinking about the world and envisioning the future. Still, relatively little is known about the degree to which former migrants affect the wellbeing of their local communities over time. This study evaluates the effect of return migrants on health, education, income, and political participation in Guanajuato, Mexico during the period 2000–2010. The findings imply that returnees may have positive effects within local economies, improving not only income, but also education, healthcare, electoral participation, and overall wellbeing. The results of this study have important implications for policy makers operating within emigration-prone regions of the world.