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Energy Subsidies, Public Investment and Endogenous Growth

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  • Mundaca, Gabriela

Abstract

This paper deals with impacts of fossil fuel subsidy reform on economic growth, focusing mostly on the countries of the Middle East and East Africa (MENA) region. We first develop a theoretical growth model, and use it to demonstrate that a country can achieve higher levels of economic growth if the government reduces its energy subsidies. Our empirical work confirms the main results from the theoretical model. That is, a country that initially subsidizes its fossil fuels, and then eliminates or reduces these subsidies, will as a result experience higher economic GDP per capita growth, higher employment, and greater levels of labor force participation, especially among the youth. These effects are strongest in countries where fuel subsidies are generally high, such as those in the MENA Region. We here predict that for a given level of subsidy, a 20 cents average increase in the gasoline and diesel price per liter can increase the GDP per capita growth rate by about 0.46 percent and 0.24 percent, respectively. In the MENA countries, savings in subsidies seem to be earmarked by the region’s governments to health expenditures, education expenditures and public investment in infrastructure. These channels appear to be strong contributing factors to higher long-run growth when fuel subsidies are reduced.

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  • Mundaca, Gabriela, 2015. "Energy Subsidies, Public Investment and Endogenous Growth," MPRA Paper 65741, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:65741
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    2. Saeed Solaymani, 2021. "Energy subsidy reform evaluation research – reviews in Iran," Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 11(3), pages 520-538, June.
    3. Guoping Ding & Jingqian Hua & Juntao Duan & Sixia Deng & Wenyu Zhang & Yifan Gong & Huaping Sun, 2022. "Research on the Strategy of Industrial Structure Optimization Driven by Green Credit Distribution," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-17, July.
    4. Alireza Ghadertootoonchi & Maryam Fani & Masoume Bararzadeh, 2020. "The effect of energy subsidies on the sustainability of economy, society and environment: A case study of Iran," ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2020(2), pages 93-129.
    5. Mihai Ludovic DEMETER & Cleopatra SENDROIU & Florin CAZACU, 2018. "District Heating In Romania - A Choice Of Equality Or Equity," Proceedings of the INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 12(1), pages 951-956, November.
    6. Guenette,Justin Damien, 2020. "Price Controls : Good Intentions, Bad Outcomes," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9212, The World Bank.
    7. Alasseri, Rajeev & Rao, T. Joji & Sreekanth, K.J., 2020. "Institution of incentive-based demand response programs and prospective policy assessments for a subsidized electricity market," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    8. Mundaca, Gabriela, 2017. "How much can CO2 emissions be reduced if fossil fuel subsidies are removed?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 91-104.
    9. Aiman Albatayneh & Adel Juaidi & Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro, 2023. "The Negative Impact of Electrical Energy Subsidies on the Energy Consumption—Case Study from Jordan," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-17, January.
    10. Chang, Kai & Wan, Qiong & Lou, Qichun & Chen, Yili & Wang, Weihong, 2020. "Green fiscal policy and firms’ investment efficiency: New insights into firm-level panel data from the renewable energy industry in China," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 589-597.
    11. Su, Chi-Wei & Yuan, Xi & Tao, Ran & Shao, Xuefeng, 2022. "Time and frequency domain connectedness analysis of the energy transformation under climate policy," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    12. Woźniak, Justyna & Krysa, Zbigniew & Dudek, Michał, 2020. "Concept of government-subsidized energy prices for a group of individual consumers in Poland as a means to reduce smog," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    13. Husaini, Dzul Hadzwan & Puah, Chin-Hong & Lean, Hooi Hooi, 2019. "Energy subsidy and oil price fluctuation, and price behavior in Malaysia:A time series analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 1000-1008.
    14. Wheeler,Collette Mari & Baffes,John & Kabundi,Alain Ntumba & Kindberg-Hanlon,Gene & Nagle,Peter Stephen Oliver & Ohnsorge,Franziska Lieselotte, 2020. "Adding Fuel to the Fire : Cheap Oil during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9320, The World Bank.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    energy subsidies; economic growth; public investment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q3 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation
    • Q4 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy
    • Q43 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Energy and the Macroeconomy
    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy

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