Electricity clearly improves people’s quality of life. But in Rwanda, even one decade after communities were connected, rural electrification had limited effects on incomes, employment, and broader economic development.

Energy-efficient biomass cookstoves cut fuel use and, in Rwanda, do not trigger significant local rebound effects – consumption, fuel collection time, and prices remain largely unchanged for those not adopting cleaner cookstoves.

A new long-term follow-up on a cash grant programme in Uganda shows that impacts partly reappear during crisis times, shedding light on the challenges of long-term RCTs.

New evidence on the adoption and impacts of various improved cooking stoves offers promising options for climate policy and poverty alleviation