Editorial
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.le.n103a361260Keywords:
Subsidies, Natural Gas, Energy Policy, Subsidy Targeting, Energy TransitionAbstract
This editorial analyzes the collapse of the natural gas subsidy scheme in Colombia, whose fiscal burden grew by 642% between 2005 and 2024. The crisis rests on two pillars: the financial one, aggravated by costly gas imports , and the deep social inequity of its design. The current stratification system is anachronistic and creates "inclusion errors," as about 81% of subsidies benefit non-poor households. Although transitioning to a direct targeting model via Sisbén is an urgent solution proposed in the National Development Plan , the author argues it is an intermediate step. The strategic debate should focus on a deeper transformation: a residential energy transition that replaces fossil fuels with clean technologies , aiming for a policy that is fiscally sustainable and socially just.
Downloads
Author Biography
Carlos Andrés Vasco-Correa, Universidad de Antioquia
Carlos Andrés Vasco CorreaEditor & Director, Lecturas de Economía |
|
Carlos Vasco is an economist and Editor-in-Chief of Lecturas de Economía. He is a professor at the Department of Economics at the Universidad de Antioquia and conducts research in applied microeconomics, energy and environmental economics, and market regulation. His work has been published in academic journals and specialized books. Additionally, he has participated in research projects and advisory roles on economic policy, energy transition, and climate change. His publications are indexed in Web of Science, Scopus, and RePEc |
| ORCID | Google Scholar | ResearchGate | CVLAC | RePEc | Web of Science | Scopus |
References
Cabrales, S., & Benavides, J. (2025). Serie de notas técnicas sobre el impacto del déficit de gas natural y el aumento de precios para los usuarios finales: Presentación general. Nota 2. Costo fiscal por mayores subsidios ante el aumento del precio del gas natural (Nota técnica No. 2, 13 págs.). Fedesarrollo. https://www.repository.fedesarrollo.org.co/handle/11445/4788
Congreso de la República de Colombia. (1994, 11 de julio). Ley 142 de 1994: Por la cual se establece el régimen de los servicios públicos domiciliarios y se dictan otras disposiciones. http://www.secretariasenado.gov.co/senado/basedoc/ley_0142_1994.html
Congreso de la República de Colombia. (2023, 19 de mayo). Ley 2294 de 2023: Por la cual se expide el Plan Nacional de Desarrollo 2022–2026 “Colombia potencia mundial de la vida”. http://www.secretariasenado.gov.co/senado/basedoc/ley_2294_2023.html
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Carlos Andrés Vasco-Correa
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This page, by Universidad de Antioquia, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication, with the article licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License allowing others to share it as long as they acknowledge its authorship and original publication in this journal.
Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), provided that these arrangements be not for profit and the journal be acknowledged as the original source of publication.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their papers online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their websites), as it can lead to valuable exchanges as well as greater citation of the published work.
