Electricity Reforms in the ASEAN

In the mid-to-late 1990s, several ASEAN countries initiated wide-ranging programmes to reform their electricity industries. Such reform, argued its proponents, would improve the productivity of the electricity industries and attract much needed private investment. A review of these reform experiences suggests that there is a significant disparity between the expected and actual outcomes of reform. Explanations for this disparity appear to be narrow, industry-centric and ideological. This is unhelpful as it obscures the real challenges confronting the electricity industries and precludes consideration of meaningful policy prescriptions. There is a need to develop a broader perspective on electricity reform. This paper is an attempt in that direction.