Fossil fuel subsidies have allowed energy exporting countries to distribute resource revenue, bolstering legitimacy for governments, many of which are not democratically elected. But subsidy benefits are dwarfed by the harmful consequences of encouraging uneconomic use of energy. Now, with consumption posing a threat to long-term exports, governments face a heightened need to raise prices that have come to be viewed as entitlements. While reforms of state benefits are notoriously politically dangerous, previous experience shows that subsidies can be rolled back without undermining government legitimacy — even in autocratic settings — given proper preparation.
Kenneth B. Medlock III, James A. Baker, III, and Susan G. Baker Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics, testified about crude oil production and energy trade policy before the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Mexico’s 2013–2014 energy reform promises to bring the country’s economic drivers and regulatory institutions in line with the global practices of free market democracies. If successful, this development would be a 180-degree turn. The accomplishment of such realignment is hardly assured, however.
Energy experts from government, industry and academia investigate influences on oil and gas investments, as well as future directions for global commodity pricing.
Under this study, the Baker Institute will embark on a comprehensive study on the interaction of the oil investment cycle and the general business cycle, including consideration of how the global economy and patterns of industry capital investment are influenced by oil price shocks.
The causes and consequences of rising oil price over the past decade have been the subject of much debate. The role of speculation in financial markets has come increasingly under the microscope, with many economists arguing that in commodity markets such as oil, inventory adjustment should prevent speculative pressures from unduly influencing price. This paper investigates whether speculative pressures can exert an influence on the price of storable commodities, such as crude oil and natural gas.
A working paper that reveals some of the possible new directions in U.S. NGLs and their future use in world markets. By Al Troner, president of Asia Pacific Energy Consulting.
