Deakin University
Browse

File(s) under permanent embargo

Can natural gas save lives? Evidence from the deployment of a fuel delivery system in a developing country

journal contribution
posted on 2018-05-01, 00:00 authored by R Cesur, E Tekin, Aydogan UlkerAydogan Ulker
There has been a widespread displacement of coal by natural gas as space heating and cooking technology in Turkey in the last two decades, triggered by the deployment of natural gas networks. We examine the impact of this development on mortality among adults and the elderly by exploiting the variation in the timing of the deployment and the intensity of expansion of gas networks across provinces using data from 2001 to 2016. The results indicate that the expansion of natural gas has caused significant reductions in mortality among both adults and the elderly. These findings are supported by our auxiliary analysis, which demonstrates that the expansion of natural gas networks might have led to a significant improvement in air quality. Furthermore, we show that the mortality gains are primarily driven by reductions in cardio-respiratory deaths, which are more likely to be due to conditions caused or exacerbated by air pollution.

History

Journal

Journal of Health Economics

Volume

59

Pagination

91-108

Location

Netherlands

ISSN

0167-6296

eISSN

1879-1646

Language

English

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal, C Journal article

Copyright notice

2018, Elsevier

Issue

May 2018

Publisher

ELSEVIER