Rural electrification in India
A wicked problem
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7169247 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Payal Dey (0000-0003-4137-1011, Department of Management Studies Indian Institute of Technology Delhi India, corresponding author), Mayank Gupta (0000-0003-1053-4527, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi), M P Gupta (0000-0001-7946-1851, Department of Management Studies Indian Institute of Technology Delhi India), Sushil Sushil (0000-0002-3118-5461, Department of Management Studies Indian Institute of Technology Delhi India), N A Sushil (Indian Institute of Technology Delhi), José Ignacio Pérez Arriaga (0000-0002-1466-8613, Center for Environmental Health), Ignacio J Perez‐Arriaga (MIT Energy Initiative Cambridge Massachusetts USA) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 875-894 |
| Publication date | 2025-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Systems Research and Behavioral Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1092-7026 • E-ISSN: 1099-1743 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/sres.3002 |
| OpenAlex | W4393092582 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 37 |
Despite concerted efforts, several plans and policies of the government addressing rural electrification remained unrealized since India's independence. Although India attained near‐complete grid connectivity in 2018, the problem of inconsistent, unreliable and unaffordable electricity persists, expressly in remote and rural areas. This paper conceptualizes issues of rural electrification in India as a ‘Wicked Problem’ – a systems thinking approach used vastly for understanding complex and multidimensional aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The problem is characterized as a sub‐target of SDG 7 i.e. universal energy access. The stakeholders of rural electrification in India were approached ‐ their feedback was mapped in the power‐interest matrix. A causal loop diagram was prepared that helped in the identification of various themes through balancing and reinforcing loops. This study makes a methodological contribution to conceptual analysis prompting decision‐making through mental models over existing frameworks used for addressing rural electrification in India
Economics · Electrical engineering · Electricity · Electrification · Geography · Management · Rural electrification · Wicked problem · Energy and Environment Impacts · Engineering · Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems · Smart Grid Energy Management
Wicked Problems in Public Policy
The Viable System Model
Wicked Problems in Design Thinking
What is so wicked about wicked problems? A conceptual analysis and a research program
Forty years of wicked problems literature
Systems Thinking
Coping, taming or solving
Overcoming the tragedy of super wicked problems
Out of the Darkness and into the Light? Development Effects of Rural Electrification
Navigating towards sustainable development
The Origin of “Wicked Problems
Dilemmas in a general theory of planning
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |