This paper tests the main implications of models of irreversible investment using data from operations in the oil fields in the North Sea. Discrete-time hazard regression models are used to ascertain the influence of economic variables, the expected price of oil, the variance of the price of oil and the level of reserves, on the lag between the discovery of a field and the decision to develop the field. We are able to control for heterogeneity in the data by incorporating variables which account for both the geological features of each field and individual operator characteristics. The results indicate that the expected price of oil and the level of reserves are important in influencing the appraisal duration but that the variance of the oil price is not. Variables capturing the non-economic features of the individual fields are also found to be significant factors affecting the appraisal lag. Copyright 1994 by Royal Economic Society.
Download Info
To download:
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the
proper application to
view it first. Information about this may be contained
in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read
the IDEAS help
page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS
site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.
Volume (Year): 104 (1994) Issue (Month): 423 (March) Pages: 363-71 Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML
(with abstract),
plain text
(with abstract),
BibTeX,
RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite),
ReDIF
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Christopher F. Baum).
Related research
Keywords:
Cited by: (explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)