Publications

Topics
Country
Region
Energy Subsidy Reform in Action | Approaches and Insights from Recent Research on Energy Subsidy Reform

 

This report summarizes the findings of a review aimed at understanding emerging approaches to energy subsidy reform, discerning trends, and identifying major strands of thinking and research in the field, as reflected in major policy and academic journals relevant to the subject. The review was initiated in early 2020 as part of a multiyear stocktaking study on energy subsidy reform experiences in developing countries by the ESMAP Energy Subsidy Reform Facility (ESRF). The study objectives were achieved through a two-stage process involving screening of select policy and academic journals focusing on energy policy, economics, and other related fields. The process was used to identify relevant articles on energy subsidy reform and explore themes and trends related to scope, substance, and messaging. The review focused on identifying recent trends in the selected literature, in particular the coverage, focus, themes, and approaches related to energy subsidy reforms. Recent literature was compared with earlier approaches, and commonalities and changes in methodology and focus were documented.

ENERGY SUBSIDY REFORM IN ACTION

From Ambition to Action: Practical Insights on Energy Subsidy Reforms

 

Citation

Bacon, Robert; Gencer, Defne. 2024. Energy Subsidy Reform in Action - Approaches and Insights from Recent Research on Energy Subsidy Reform: ESMAP Technical Report. © Washington, DC: World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/41480 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.

Users also downloaded
Auctions now dominate renewable power procurement, delivering low prices but often shifting risks and macroeconomic burdens to developing countries; the report (IRENA and ESMAP’s SRMI) proposes…
January 1 2026
 EXPLORE THE DATA: Multi-Tier Framework for Energy Access Access to energy is central to addressing critical development challenges. Energy deeply influences human development, serving as a…
December 31 2025
The study analyzes a 40-year, 142-country dataset using the national energy cost share to describe historical patterns, estimate cost share sensitivity to output and energy prices, and assess the…
December 22 2025
In FY2025, ESMAP expanded electricity to 21 million people, provided clean cooking to 1.1 million, and enabled 5,552 MW of renewables, bringing cumulative gains since FY2021 to 58 million with…
December 18 2025