Electric regionalism: Path dependence, development, and the African power pools

Payne Faculty Fellow Kathleen Hancock writes about how low access, unreliable supply, and high- cost electricity have hampered many African states’ ability to grow their economies. Even high- income states, like South Africa, are increasingly challenged to provide reliable electricity. To help address this shortfall, African states belong to five regional power pools: organizations that link together electricity grids of member states and cre-ate markets to buy and sell electricity across borders.  June 7, 2023.