Locked out of power: The overlooked role of housing insecurity in energy poverty

Abstract

Los psicólogos deben respetar la confidencialidad de lo que conocen en la terapia; no hacerlo constituye el delito previsto en el artículo 199.2 del Código Penal español. A este deber se oponen el de denunciar y testificar sobre los delitos que conozcan, previstos en la Ley de Enjuiciamiento Criminal, y el de impedir ciertos delitos que les impone el Código Penal en el artículo 540. Dado que es imposible cumplir simultáneamente dichas obligaciones, se produce una colisión de deberes que genera inseguridad jurídica. El artículo aborda esta problemática con el fin de reducir dicha inseguridad. Aunque se trata de un problema específicamente español, el análisis dogmático que se ofrece puede resultar útil para afrontar conflictos normativos semejantes en otros sistemas legales.The dynamics of energy poverty among vulnerable individuals remain largely unexplored, as most existing evidence—whether from developed or developing countries—relies on broad population surveys. This paper addresses this gap by examining the dynamics of energy poverty within a highly disadvantaged group in Australia. To account for potential state dependence, the analysis employs two complementary methodologies: a Conditional Maximum Likelihood Estimator (CMLE) and a two-stage Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) procedure. The study reveals three key findings. First, energy poverty among vulnerable individuals is highly self-perpetuating, with past experiences strongly predicting future occurrences. Second, housing insecurity emerges as a critical determinant of energy poverty within this group, surpassing conventional factors such as income or energy prices. Individuals living in unstable, inadequate, or unsafe housing conditions face a significantly heightened risk of energy deprivation. Third, unlike findings from general population surveys, energy poverty among the vulnerable shows weak correlation with energy prices. These findings highlight the importance of integrating housing stability into energy poverty mitigation strategies and inform targeted policy recommendations. Keywords: Energy poverty; State dependence; Housing insecurity