Pay as You Go: Prepaid Metering and Electricity Expenditures in South Africa

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dc.contributor.authorJack, B Kelsey
dc.contributor.authorSmith, Grant
dc.date.accessioned2021-10-08T11:00:55Z
dc.date.available2021-10-08T11:00:55Z
dc.date.issued2015
dc.description.abstractHigh rates of customer default on utility bills present a barrier to the expansion of electricity access in the developing world. Pre-paid electricity metering offers a technological solution to ensuring timely payment. Using an eleven-year panel of pre-paid electricity customers in Cape Town, South Africa, we describe patterns of purchase behavior across property values, our measure of socioeconomic status. Poorer households buy electricity more often, in smaller increments, and are most likely to buy on payday. These patterns suggest difficulties smoothing income, and reveal a preference for small, frequent purchases that is incompatible with a standard monthly electricity billing cycle.
dc.identifier.apacitationJack, B. K., & Smith, G. (2015). Pay as You Go: Prepaid Metering and Electricity Expenditures in South Africa. <i>American Economic Review</i>, 105(5), 237 - 241. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/35046en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationJack, B Kelsey, and Grant Smith "Pay as You Go: Prepaid Metering and Electricity Expenditures in South Africa." <i>American Economic Review</i> 105, 5. (2015): 237 - 241. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/35046en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationJack, B.K. & Smith, G. 2015. Pay as You Go: Prepaid Metering and Electricity Expenditures in South Africa. <i>American Economic Review.</i> 105(5):237 - 241. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/35046en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0002-8282
dc.identifier.issn1944-7981
dc.identifier.ris TY - Journal Article AU - Jack, B Kelsey AU - Smith, Grant AB - High rates of customer default on utility bills present a barrier to the expansion of electricity access in the developing world. Pre-paid electricity metering offers a technological solution to ensuring timely payment. Using an eleven-year panel of pre-paid electricity customers in Cape Town, South Africa, we describe patterns of purchase behavior across property values, our measure of socioeconomic status. Poorer households buy electricity more often, in smaller increments, and are most likely to buy on payday. These patterns suggest difficulties smoothing income, and reveal a preference for small, frequent purchases that is incompatible with a standard monthly electricity billing cycle. DA - 2015 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town IS - 5 J1 - American Economic Review LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PY - 2015 SM - 0002-8282 SM - 1944-7981 T1 - Pay as You Go: Prepaid Metering and Electricity Expenditures in South Africa TI - Pay as You Go: Prepaid Metering and Electricity Expenditures in South Africa UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/35046 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/35046
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationJack BK, Smith G. Pay as You Go: Prepaid Metering and Electricity Expenditures in South Africa. American Economic Review. 2015;105(5):237 - 241. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/35046.en_ZA
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.departmentSchool of Economics
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Commerce
dc.sourceAmerican Economic Review
dc.source.journalissue5
dc.source.journalvolume105
dc.source.pagination237 - 241
dc.source.urihttps://dx.doi.org/10.1257/aer.p20151096
dc.subject.otherBurns
dc.subject.otherDisaster Planning
dc.subject.otherHumans
dc.subject.otherMass Casualty Incidents
dc.subject.otherNational Health Programs
dc.subject.otherPractice Guidelines as Topic
dc.subject.otherSocieties, Medical
dc.subject.otherSouth Africa
dc.titlePay as You Go: Prepaid Metering and Electricity Expenditures in South Africa
dc.typeJournal Article
uct.type.publicationResearch
uct.type.resourceJournal Article
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