Energy poverty as capabilities deprivation

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic and the current energy crisis have brought to the attention of policymakers the need to tackle energy poverty. To effectively counter its growing diffusion, it is essential to know its extent and its determinants. However, the full understanding was hindered by the terminological confusion between fuel poverty and energy poverty, as well as by the use of unidimensional indexes. After describing the limits of traditional approaches, the paper argues that Sen's capability approach represents the most appropriate normative framework to enhance the multidimensional nature of energy poverty. © 2023, Associazione Economia Civile. All rights reserved.