The correlation between energy cost share, human and economic development : using time series data from Australasia, Europe, North America and the BRICS nations.
| dc.contributor.advisor | Musango, Josephine Kaviti | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Brent, Alan C. | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Heun, Matthew | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Roberts, Ryan Keagan | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2017-11-22T08:28:27Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2017-12-11T10:37:27Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2018-12-31T03:00:15Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2017-12 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2017. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH SUMMARY : Rising global temperatures and fossil fuel depletion have created urgency for a shift toward renewable energy. While the environmental benefits of this power source have been well documented, a blind eye cannot be turned on social and economic challenges facing many nations today. The overarching goal of this study is to investigate how a transition to an energy sector dominated by renewable energy systems would affect the other two pillars of sustainability, namely society and the economy. This is vital to understand in order to construct energy and environmental policies that can advance society in a sustainable manner. One of the changes that would occur during such a transition is a variation in energy prices. The energy costs share (ECS), a ratio of a region’s energy expenditure as a fraction of its gross domestic product (GDP), was identified a tool that could link the amount spent on energy in proportion to the size of a country’s economy. Nations from three regions of the world, namely Australasia, Europe and North America, were chosen for this analysis. It was also decided to include the BRICS nations to give a representation of developing economies, giving a total of fifteen countries. During the period of 1978-2010, the annual energy cost share of each country was compared to the year on year GDP change at different time lags. The three components of a nation’s HDI, namely income levels, health and education, were also compared to this metric. Pearson’s Correlation test were conducted in order to establish the relationship between these indices as well as any thresholds that may exist. In an attempt to identify any common traits that may explain the dynamics of energy costs, comparisons between each country were made, along with similar tests performed for each region. This study confirms that high energy costs have a negative effect on economic growth. The existence of an ECS threshold was found in many countries with very strong correlation coefficients being obtained for periods of high ECS. Throughout the study it was noticed that energy cost share had a very strong correlation to GNI per capita change, much stronger than the correlation between ECS and GDP change. The use of ECS may be good tool for stimulating economic growth, but more importantly it stimulates human development in the form of income levels. The findings from this study showed that each country has its own set of dynamics to energy cost share. Many influences can affect the dynamics of energy costs on a countries economic and human development. The effects may be localised to a specific region, however, there are many other factors that can play a vital role such as a country’s energy mix, economic situation and political history. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Al hoe hoër temperature wêreldwyd en die uitputting van fossielbrandstowwe vereis ’n dringende verskuiwing na hernubare energie. Hoewel daar al baie geskryf is oor die omgewingsvoordele van hierdie kragbron, kan ’n mens nie jou oë sluit vir die maatskaplike en ekonomiese uitdagings van baie nasies nie. Die oorhoofse doel van hierdie studie is om te ondersoek hoe ’n oorgang na ’n energiesektor wat deur hernubare-energiestelsels oorheers word, die ander twee pilare van volhoubaarheid, naamlik die samelewing en die ekonomie, sal raak. ’n Begrip hiervan is noodsaaklik om met energie- en omgewingsbeleide vorendag te kom wat volhoubare samelewingsvooruitgang kan bewerkstellig. Een van die veranderinge wat gedurende so ’n oorgang sal plaasvind, is ’n wisseling in energiepryse. Die energiekosteaandeel, synde ’n verhouding van ’n streek se energiebesteding as ’n fraksie van sy bruto binnelandse produk, is geïdentifiseer as ’n instrument wat energiebesteding proporsioneel aan die grootte van ’n land se ekonomie kan koppel. Nasies uit drie wêreldstreke, naamlik Australasië, Europa en Noord-Amerika, is vir hierdie ontleding gekies. Boonop is die BRICS-nasies ingesluit as verteenwoordigers van ontwikkelende ekonomieë, wat die totale getal lande in die studie op 15 te staan bring. Die jaarlikse energiekosteaandee van elke land vir die tydperk 1978-2010 is met die jaar-tot-jaar-verandering in BBP met verskillende tussenposes vergelyk, sowel as met die drie komponente van ’n nasie se menslike ontwikkelingsindeks, naamlik inkomstevlakke, gesondheid en onderwys. Pearson se korrelasietoets is uitgevoer om die verwantskap tussen hierdie aanwysers sowel as enige moontlike drempelwaardes vas te stel. Om enige gemeenskaplike kenmerke te probeer bepaal wat die dinamiek van energiekoste kan verklaar, is vergelykings tussen elke land gedoen en soortgelyke toetse vir elke streek uitgevoer. Die studie bevestig dat hoë energiekoste ’n negatiewe uitwerking op ekonomiese groei het. Heelwat lande blyk ’n energiekosteaandee-drempel te hê, met baie sterk korrelasiekoëffisiënte vir tydperke van hoë energiekosteaandee. Deur die hele studie is ’n baie sterk korrelasie tussen energiekosteaandee en verandering in bruto nasionale inkomste per kop opgemerk – veel sterker as die verband tussen energiekosteaandee en bruto binnelandse produk-verandering. Energiekosteaandee kan ’n doeltreffende instrument wees om ekonomiese groei te stimuleer. Nóg belangriker is egter dat dit menslike ontwikkeling in die vorm van inkomstevlakke kan stimuleer. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie toon dat elke land sy eie stel energiekosteaandee-dinamiek het. Baie invloede kan ’n uitwerking hê op hoe energiekoste ’n land se ekonomiese en menslike ontwikkeling raak. Hoewel dit moontlik streekspesifiek kan wees, sluit hierdie invloede ’n land se energiemengsel, ekonomiese omstandighede en politieke geskiedenis in. | af_ZA |
| dc.embargo.terms | 2018-12-31 | |
| dc.format.extent | xv, 136 pages ; illustrations, includes annexure | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/102654 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | |
| dc.subject | Renewable energy sources -- Developing countries | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Renewable energy sources -- Developed countries | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Energy cost sharing | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Economic development -- Environmental aspects | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Economic development -- Social aspects | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Environmental economics | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.title | The correlation between energy cost share, human and economic development : using time series data from Australasia, Europe, North America and the BRICS nations. | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |
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