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Not All Oil Types Are Alike

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Listed:
  • Jochen Güntner
  • Michael Irlacher
  • Peter Öhlinger

Abstract

Motivated by the European Union’s debate on sanctioning crude oil imports from Russia, we estimate the elasticity of substitution between different crude oil types. Using European data on country-level crude oil imports by field of origin, we argue that crude oil is not a homogenous good and that the relevant substitutability for analyzing the impact of trade sanctions must account for the quality of different oil types in terms of their API gravity and sulfur content. Our results suggest that, by neglecting these differences in quality, standard estimates significantly underestimate the production disruptions in crude oil refining resulting from sanctions.

Suggested Citation

  • Jochen Güntner & Michael Irlacher & Peter Öhlinger, 2023. "Not All Oil Types Are Alike," CESifo Working Paper Series 10652, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_10652
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    crude oil trade; elasticity of substitution; refinery economics; sanctions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • F51 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Conflicts; Negotiations; Sanctions
    • L71 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Primary Products and Construction - - - Mining, Extraction, and Refining: Hydrocarbon Fuels
    • Q37 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Issues in International Trade
    • Q41 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Demand and Supply; Prices

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