Infrastructure, sustainability and unevenness : exploring marginalization in Mexico

Abstract

Approximately 1.5 million Mexicans lack access to electricity, and most of them live in rural and remote areas with high levels of marginalization and poverty. Access to secure, affordable and modern energy is central to poverty reduction as it is a critical enabler of development (IEA, 2017). However, in most cases, rural electrification implementation has not yielded the expected outcomes. This thesis explores under what conditions can electricity help to alleviate poverty and achieve sustainable development in rural areas. I examine these concerns as also central to addressing the root causes of unevenness and marginalization in these areas. Through fieldwork with off-grid providers and semistructured interviews of beneficiaries in the rural localities of Oaxaca and Chiapas in Southern Mexico, as well as with government officials, I explore how off-grid electrification improves wellness. By examining the implementation of two rural electrification programs, I reflect on what can be done to strengthen these efforts. In particular, I highlight the essential role that context plays when designing and implementing programs aimed at alleviating poverty. In conclusion, I propose combining systems-level coordination with place-based policies to better address vulnerabilities for the sustainability of rural off-grid programs and coordination challenges revealed in the projects I studied.