BOLIVIA’S ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH PROFILE: IS THERE A LINK?

The fundamental importance of energy for socio-economic existence cannot be over-emphasized. With an annual average growth rate of 3.6% over the period of 1998 and 2008, the Bolivian economic statistics shows that over 60% of the country’s GDP growth rate can be attributed to its export sector. However, energy consumption also grew significantly over the same period. Thus we seek to establish the directional causality between energy consumption and economic growth in Bolivia using secondary annual data for the period of 1971 to 2010. The Granger-causality tests indicate that there is an unidirectional causality that runs from economic growth to energy consumption with no feedback. The study, therefore, recommends that policies meant to manage growing energy demand can be instituted without obstructing growth in Bolivia. Energy taxation and pricing reform can help raise additional revenue for development.