Kerosene is a volatile, dangerous chemical that provides poor light, yet it continues to be widely used as a source of illumination in countries that have incomplete or unreliable electricity grids. A group of researchers wanted to know why kerosene is so popular, even though it’s more expensive than some alternative, innovative forms of lighting that are available to the same populations. Serguei Netessine , a Wharton professor of operations, information and decisions, spoke to Knowledge at Wharton about what he and his colleagues — Bhavani Shanker Uppari and Ioana Popescu from INSEAD — learned from their research, and what solutions could provide a better path forward.

Knowledge at Wharton: Your research is detailed in a paper titled, “ Selling Off-Grid Light to Liquidity Constrained Consumers .” What exactly is off-grid light?

Serguei Netessine: Off-grid light is a standard way to solve the access to electricity problem in many countries where there is simply no electrical grid as we know it.…