Oil-rich Countries Research Articles

Performance Analysis of Biomass Energy using Machine and Deep Learning Approaches

Nowadays, fossil fuels such as petroleum, diesel and coal are being used as an energy source in every modern machinery but these are non-renewable and available in certain domain of nature only. Additionally, excess use of such fuels can cause environmental pollutions, damage of human inhaling process and increase the dependency on other oil rich countries. These challenges could be avoided by using Biomass Energy, which is clean and renewable. Precisely, Biomass Energy is based on hydrocarbon materials which could come from both animal and plant derivatives. There are three forms of Biomass Energy: (i) Gases-methane, ethane etc.; (ii) Liquid-ethanol, biodiesel etc., and (iii) Solid-biochar and activated carbon. These energies are acknowledged for cost effectiveness, renewable nature and less emerging pollutants as compared to fossil fuels. At the present time, these renewable Biomass Energies are useful to operate large number of advanced machines, along with which, the challenge isto estimate the production of Biomass Energy from the available biomass sources without hampering the biodiversity. Therefore, in this study Machine and Deep Learning algorithms are used to calculate the Biomass Energy. Moreover, this work introduces number of Machine and Deep Learning approaches to compute the Biomass Energy production along with Machine Learning tools to analyze the performance of Biomass Energy.

Green hydrogen economy and opportunities for India

With increasing numbers of vehicles on roads, India is facing the issue of large vehicular emissions. The burning of crude oil is the major issue behind these emissions. India doesn’t have enough resources to fulfill all the energy demands of vehicles and hence, imports crude oil from oil-rich countries. To tackle the issues associated with oil imports and vehicular emissions, there is a need to search for carbon-free alternate fuel that is available locally in sufficient quantity to meet India’s energy demands. The green economy is a new concept evolving and gaining attention worldwide, the concept focuses on sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. Hydrogen is such a carbon-free fuel that can help to achieve the targets of the green economy and the best means to store energy for a long time. Hydrogen is a high energy content fuel and has about zero greenhouse gas emissions when used in fuel cells. Hydrogen is not directly available in free form, but it can be produced using electrolyzers and various other techniques. India’s continuously growing renewable power generation capacity gives the advantage to produce hydrogen from green sources like solar, and wind at the time of lower demand. The present review work focuses on the opportunities for India in green hydrogen production as the adaption of green hydrogen offers many benefits to India including energy security, and decarbonizing the transport sector.

Oil boom, exchange rate and sectoral output: An empirical analysis of Dutch disease in oil-rich countries

This paper examines the Dutch disease in a global sample of 36 oil-rich developed and developing countries for the period 1970 to 2016. It also examines the theory comprehensively by considering the two Dutch disease intermediate effects: spending and resource movement. Using panel data fixed effect with Driscoll-Kraay standard errors estimation approach, our results show that an oil boom causes appreciation in the real exchange rate and a fall in sectoral output, which is consistent with the theory. However, there is significant difference in the effects of oil boom on the real exchange rate and sectoral output among sub-regional groupings, possibly because of differences in the extent of institutional quality and economic policy. The implications of these results are that policy makers of countries affected by Dutch disease should improve institutional quality, minimise real exchange rate appreciation and promote domestic investment in the manufacturing and agriculture sectors. These are necessarily conditions to escape the Dutch disease problem, which hinders economic growth and development.

The effect of structural oil shocks on bank systemic risk in the GCC countries

It is generally assumed that oil price shocks have a significant impact on oil-rich countries. Motivated by this belief, we examine how disaggregated oil shocks affect bank risk in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries, specifically Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia (KSA), Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and whether the effects of these shocks varied over the period from January 2006 to September 2020. To address these questions, we apply two measures that capture market-based systemic risk, namely, conditional value-at-risk (CoVAR) and marginal expected shortfall (MES). Consistent with Kilian's (2009) assertion that not all oil shocks have the same effect on an economy, we document two major findings. First, oil supply shocks, rather than oil demand shocks, are the major driver behind increases in the GCC members' bank risk. Second, the change in bank risk in response to these shocks varies over different periods. Specifically, oil price changes during the global financial crisis (2007–2009) and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in greater effects on bank risk from oil demand shocks. Many policy implications emerge from these findings. For example, as banks are the cornerstones of the GCC members' financial systems, monitoring oil supply-related shocks, that is, oil production, is necessary to mitigate financial systemic risk. Moreover, our findings indicate that the GCC members' banking systems are vulnerable to changes in global real economic activities during crises, as we show that aggregate demand shocks have increased bank risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Evolutionary game theory approach to technology development of oil & gas equipment manufacturing industry: the case of the ten major commodity groups’ project of the petroleum industry

Technology development, especially in petroleum industries, is definitely one of the most important ways of economic development in oil-rich countries. However, despite such challenges as structural economic problems, the issue of moral hazards, and the conflict of interests, government policies are crucial. This study analyzed the long-term behavior of the government and the private sector as two main actors using the evolutionary game theory and solved their strategies by replicator dynamic equations. Finally, based on a real-world case in Iran, a numerical study was performed to better understand the characteristics of the game model under realistic conditions. The outputs indicate that the main approach of the government, with minimal incentive mechanisms, should be legal monitoring. Sensitivity analyses on some key parameters show that the important factor in project implementation is attention to the private sector revenues and expenditures, and government revenues and expenditures have little effect on the outputs and behavior change.

The Twin Deficit Hypothesis in the MENA Region: Do Geopolitics Matter?

This paper examines the relationship between fiscal and external balances in MENA oil versus non-oil countries in the context of the twin deficits hypothesis (TDH) using Panel Vector Autoregression- Generalized Methods of Moments PVAR GMM estimation, Granger Causality and IRFs. The essence of this analysis is to assess the vulnerability of fiscal and external balances to oil price dynamics and regional geopolitics in the region. Results show that a twin-deficit problem exists in MENA oil-rich countries only while the problem does not exist in non-oil ones. This affirms the hypothesis that oil dependence results in high fiscal vulnerability to geopolitical shocks that automatically transmits to external balances. While a TDH isn’t proven to exist in non-oil countries, fiscal and external balances problems result from longstanding structural factors. A high reliance on tourism revenues and remittances as main sources of foreign currency receipts (together with poor tax administration and enlarged current spending bills) makes those countries more vulnerable to domestic and external shocks; reflected in both growing fiscal and current account deficits. A large imports sector and relatively poor exporting capacity also contribute to weakening external accounts. The main policy recommendations for MENA oil-rich countries rely in the importance of strengthening the non-oil sector in order to diversify domestic sources of revenues. Adopting flexible exchange rates is recommended to decrease the vulnerability of the external shocks to oil price dynamics. For non-oil MENA regions, fiscal consolidation, reforming current spending and strengthening tax administrations are crucial to improve fiscal performance. Export-led growth strategies and inclusive growth policies would also contribute to improving external accounts in the examined economies.

Partial protection of Sinopharm vaccine against SARS COV2 during recent outbreak in Bahrain

BackgroundIn order to impart immunity against SARS COV 2 in the community, the oil rich countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) provided citizens and expatriates with free vaccination. Different types of vaccination brands were utilized for this purpose. The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of the different types of vaccinations used. MethodsThis is an observational analytical case study of one Bahraini family who were vaccinated with 1st, 2nd or no dose. ResultsOut of 22 double dose recipients of SARS COV2 vaccine, 20 were infected. Those 20 were vaccinated against SARS COV 2 using Sinopharm, the rest (2) were in direct contact with the source but were vaccinated against SARS COV 2 using other type of vaccine. Out of 26 single dose recipients of Sinopharm vaccine, 23 were infected. The other three were not in direct contact with the infected source. Social gathering has been the main source of transmission. The infection has been mild with headache, chest pain. From 20 cases with double dose vaccinations only one had a lung infection and needed hospitalization. Out of 23 cases with single dose vaccinations 10 were hospitalized due to lung infections. All family members who were not vaccinated were infected, three were hospitalized one of which was deceased due to diabetes mellitus complications. ConlcusionSinopharm provides partial protection against SARS COV 2 infection. That might be due to lack of its potential to detect recent variations in the protein structure of spike(S) protein of virus.

Health outcomes and the resource curse paradox: The experience of African oil-rich countries

This study investigates the hypothesis that the abundance of mineral resources could translate to a resource curse for African oil-rich countries using the panel threshold model. Using three measures of health outcomes, namely life expectancy, mortality rates, and death rates, we find that the response of the health outcomes to resource abundance is very sensitive to the level of economic growth, whether or not interactive variables are considered. For the model without interactive variable, resource rents adversely affect health outcomes at a lower level of growth, while an improvement in health performance is observed at a higher growth level. However, the evidence of resource curse becomes substantially clear when resource rents and health expenditure are interacted to impact health outcomes as the adverse impact is observed regardless of the growth threshold level. Findings have important policy implications.

A decomposition analysis of total factor productivity growth in MENA countries: stochastic frontier analysis approach

ABSTRACT The present study aims to examine the output and total factor productivity (TFP) growth by estimating a stochastic frontier production function for a panel of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries, and to decompose TFP growth into technical change, technical efficiency, and scale efficiency. The empirical findings reveal that, while factor accumulation is the main driver of output growth in the MENA region, TFP growth is increasingly accounting for a respectable proportion of output growth, with improved technical efficiency playing a crucial role in productivity growth. Specifically, the average annual TFP growth is found to be 0.846%, with positive contributions from technical efficiency and scale efficiency. However, the results show that technical progress has had a negative impact on TFP growth. The positive growth in technical efficiency suggests that the countries are catching up towards the optimal production frontier. At a disaggregated level, oil-rich countries registered negative effects of technical progress, while non-oil countries registered negative effects of scale efficiency. Technical efficiency, however, accounts for the largest positive factor in TFP growth in both oil and non-oil country groups.

Assessing the Economic Impact of Oil and Gas Production on Ghana's Economy

Since the discovery of oil in the offshore coast of Ghana in 2007, the nation has had increased expectations on possible accelerated economic growth and development. This oil and gas if managed well has the possibility to transform a structurally week economy into a self-sustain economy. Likewise, if not well managed can lead to social, economic and political instability as it can be seen in some oil rich countries where their economies are characterized by corruption, poverty and conflict.The aim of this study was to find out the economic impact of oil and gas production on Ghana’s economy. The research employed the analysis of secondary data from the World Development Indicators, World Bank. Data were processed and analysed using SPSS statistical software. Simple linear regression analysis was performed to analyse the impact of oil rents on Ghana’s economy.The study revealed that revenue accruing from oil rents affect GDP growth positively and therefore considered impactful on Ghana’s economy since it represents net addition to capital stock. Averagely, Ghana has been experiencing GDP growth of 6.1% per annum with average contribution of oil rent being 1.8% per annum (2000-2018). The regression analysis shows that a percentage increase in oil rents will lead to a corresponding increase in GDP growth by 0.788 % per annum, which is approximately 1% per annum. It was also revealed that there has been a paradigm shift in Ghana’s economy from an agrarian to a more industrialised and service oriented economy with gradual increase in oil discoveries since 2011. Keywords: Oil and Gas production; Economy; Capital Accumulation; Oil rents; Ghana DOI: 10.7176/JESD/12-14-08 Publication date: July 31 st 2021

Energy transition in petroleum rich nations: Case study of Iran

Energy modeling and planning problems associated with technical, economic, political, and social development have been critical concerns in energy system planning and greenhouse gas emission control for both national and worldwide for many years. This paper modeled and analyzed the current and future energy supply and demand for an oil-rich energy system because energy intensity is very high in such countries. A high shared fossil fuels energy system is modeled, and an appropriate energy mix is proposed to meet the national commitment in Paris Agreement.The EnergyPLAN is used to model the energy system. Hourly actual energy demand and supply are provided for 2004–2016 for all energy sectors and subsectors and anticipated 2030. Five different scenarios are analyzed, and results show that the power sector is more influential than other energy demand sectors. Efficiency improvement of the thermal power plans and the integration of renewable energy resources into the power sector are more useful for reducing Total Primary Energy Consumption, CO2, and variable cost than other scenarios. In the proper scenario, a 1% improvement in the thermal power plants efficiency and 22% annual average growth rate in renewable energy capacity, 4% CO2 reduction can be achieved.It is concluded that in oil-rich counties such as Iran, the energy system efficiency improvement, particularly in electricity production, is more useful for the overall CO2 reduction goals. Efforts for total CO2 reduction benefit the national energy system economy, and the international community will benefit from a more efficient energy system. We believe that by total primary energy supply reduction in oil-rich countries, the international market's energy supply will be increased, which further reduces the pressure on the global oil and gas prices.

An efficiency analysis on social prosperity: OPEC case under network DEA slack-based measure approach

The purpose of this study is to measure social prosperity efficiency levels of the OPEC member countries with the Network Data Envelopment Analysis Slack Based Measure (NDEA-SBM) approach. Many researchers who are willing to employ an energy efficiency analysis generally carry out their studies on efficiency levels of energy consumption, energy production, or environmental effects. Unlike those, this study aims to answer the questions of whether the OPEC members used their oil wealth effectively to increase the social prosperity in their countries. In this context, three efficiency analyses were designed under three divisions: human resources, oil revenue, and social prosperity. The main contribution of this study is that the NDEA-SBM method was applied by using the social prosperity concept for the first time in such an efficiency analysis for the OPEC countries. In these aspects, this research differs from the previous researches. The most interesting finding is that the OPEC member countries were found 60% efficient in social prosperity dimension under the NDEA-SBM model. In other words, these oil-rich countries were inefficient in using 40% of their wealth from oil to improve their citizen's social prosperity level in 2019.

Accruing whiteness: power and resistance in prerequisite citizenship cases of immigrants from the ‘Middle East’

ABSTRACT In this paper, I explore the role that immigrants from the ‘Middle East’ (Southwest Asia) and their applications for citizenship played in the construction of whiteness in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century. I examine this role by studying six major citizenship applications through which immigrants from Southwest Asia ‘achieved’ whiteness. The legal cases examined below reveal how the first wave of immigrants from Southwest Asia, exposed to an unfamiliar taxonomical practice, learned about race politics in the United States and adopted a racial language of white Christian supremacy to achieve whiteness when citizenship was limited to free white individuals and individuals with African ancestry. This achieved whiteness by Christian applicants was first revoked when a Muslim applicant from Yemen took his citizenship application to courts and was reinstated later in the court case of a Muslim applicant from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I highlight the significance of global geopolitics in racialization processes to explain these ‘discrepancies’ and show how the final placement of immigrants from Southwest Asia in the white category was settled only when the United States’ interest in the oil-rich countries of the region mandated their inclusion.

A critical comparative review of emergency and disaster management in the Arab world

PurposeThe Arab world is made up of 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. These countries are subjected to many social, economic, political and geographical vulnerabilities contributing to increased risks or ineffective emergency and disaster management. This paper examines these vulnerabilities, how they may impact the country's ability to face disasters, and how they can improve disasters' overall management.Design/methodology/approachThe author selected Qatar, Oman to represent the Arab oil-rich countries, while Jordan, Egypt and Morocco to represent non-oil rich countries. The research was conducted in a qualitative, inductive systematic literature review based on a well-established systematic literature review methodology. Selected literature was based on its recency and the countries in question.FindingsThe review reveals population gaps that could threaten the social system in the event of a disaster in countries like Qatar and Oman. The majority of the countries lack community engagement and pre-planning for emergency preparedness due to social and cultural barriers. Other nations like Jordan, Egypt and Morocco are prone to long-lasting economic challenges due to lack of resources, mismanagement or corruption. The paper also highlights the need to raise the educational attainment among citizens to understand disaster risk reduction.Originality/valueThis study utilized the research method developed by Williams et al. (2017) to present a comprehensive systematic and comparative review of disaster management in the Arab world. Considering that disaster and emergency management has remained disproportionately unexplored in the Arab world, this paper reviewed several vulnerabilities and how those vulnerabilities may affect disaster and emergency management efforts in the Arab countries.

‘Drinking and Dropping’: On Interacting with Plastic Pollution and Waste in South-Eastern Nigeria

Nigeria is reported as having released up to 0.34 million tonnes of plastic debris into the ocean in 2010 and ranked as the ninth country in the world for pollution of the marine environment. It is a postcolonial, oil rich country where plastic is cheap and widely available. Currently there is no government policy regulating single-use plastic products. Previous studies have identified university student residential areas as ‘hot spots’ for plastic waste. We used qualitative methods (focus groups and semi-structured interviews) to explore how students made sense of their single use plastics consumption (including ‘pure water’ plastic sachets) and analysed how young Nigerians interact with plastic waste. Students perceived plastic waste as malodorous, causing harm to human health and blighting environmental aesthetics. Students saw themselves as the cause of plastic pollution (as consumers) whereas plastic industries were framed positively as producers bringing progress and prosperity. Participants were open about their indiscriminate littering practices subverting other study findings where responsibility tends to be deflected (to policy makers, producers). While we are relying on self-reported behaviour, we found no obvious link between awareness of environmental harm caused by plastic pollution and students’ actions. Within this peer group of young Nigerians, it was not considered ‘normal’ or ‘cool’ socially to use waste bins or recycle. We suggest that further research is needed into how plastic pollution is made sense of in terms of individual responsibility; lay understandings of miasmas; perceptions of public/private spaces and plastics as a signifier of modernity; and enhanced social status.

THE IMPACT OF OIL RENT, CURRENCY OVERVALUATION, AND INSTITUTION QUALITY, ON ECONOMIC GROWTH OF OIL-RICH COUNTRIES: A HETEROGENEOUS PANEL DATA STUDY

This paper investigates several key challenges faced by oil-rich countries regarding their economic growth and development. First, it discusses how to determine currency overvaluation for these countries (if any). To determine the overvaluation, the real exchange rate (RER) is calculated and the Balassa–Samuelson effect is estimated via a regression model. Next, the study presents an empirical model for assessing the impact of oil rent on economic growth in the context of currency overvaluation and the institutional quality in every country. As a dynamic model, both endogeneity and heterogeneity are expected across cross-sections because countries are different in culture, customs, and political institutions. Consequently, heterogeneous panel data analysis is undertaken using the error correction model cointegration technique and the mean group estimation method in an autoregressive distributed lag model. Finally, the study concludes the findings and provides policy recommendations by offering a new perspective on an ongoing dilemma, discussing the challenges and limitations facing developing oil-rich countries and how their path to success may differ from other countries. Keywords : Natural resources; Rent-Seeking; Institutions; Economic Growth; Energy Economic JEL Classifications : D72; E02; F43; O47; Q43 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.10971

Assessment of CES Function Parameters in Oil-Rich CIS Countries

The article analyses balance between the capital and labor market in the CIS countries rich in hydrocarbon resources – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia. For this purpose, the impact of capital (fixed assets) and labor (employed population) on the production volume (on GDP) was estimated based on the relevant statistical data from these countries using production function analysis. The parameters of CES production function were determined in the Mathcad system by the nonlinear least-squares method. The subject of the research has enhanced relevance due to the lack of extensive research of the problem posed in the oil and gas-rich countries of the CIS, and the research evaluates the balance between capital and labor markets for the first time in resource-abundant countries. From the results, it can be seen that for each of these three countries the distribution coefficient for capital is significantly higher than that for the labor factor. This means that there is an excess of capital that cannot be started. This is typical for the countries rich in natural resources. The main reason for this process is the complex structure of increasing capital with oil revenues and low level of specialization of the existing labor force to launch this capital. Moreover, according to the results obtained from the CES production function, the substitute elasticity coefficient in oil-rich countries of the CIS is less than one. The study summarizes the current problem as an imbalance between the capital (fixed assets created using modern technology) and the labor market (labor to leverage key assets using potential opportunities). Based on the analysis, the results obtained from modeling is formulated and scientifically grounded recommendations have been provided for the improvement of education and its quality in these three countries, especially in Russia and Azerbaijan.

Pax Petrolica? Rethinking the Oil–Interstate War Linkage

In the last decade resource curse scholars have argued widely that oil-rich countries are more likely to initiate armed disputes with their neighbors. In this essay, we argue that the evidence points toward oil peace, not conflict, as a function of both domestic and international factors. We draw on analyses of our own dataset and two from past studies to show that the data is more supportive of petro-peace than of petro-aggression. We also demonstrate that the Iran–Iraq War is singularly responsible for what was believed to have been a radical-petro-aggression effect globally. We conclude that, to the extent that evidence suggests a trend, it is more likely for a Pax Petrolica.

The Policy Framework of Natural Resource Management in Oil-Dependence Countries

A variety of critical empirical studies are interested in and focused on complex issues related to natural resource management and resource curse, whilst less can be found combining diverse factors that affect the dynamics of this curse and mitigate it. The case study of Norway is used as the benchmark policy framework in oil-rich countries to invest oil revenues and set correct fiscal policies. In this study, an analytical framework was structured to evaluate the coherence of resource management with sustainability as a starting point, contributing to further assessments of how the adaptation of such policies is incorporated in resource management to mitigate the resource curse. The analysis also suggests that oil-rich countries can learn from Norway’s experience to mitigate this resource curse and utilize oil revenues in the interest of the country. In addition, the analysis helps in effective management and the protection of ecological resources as these are becoming an increasingly important strategic part of natural wealth. This study aimed to provide an overarching framework designed to help conceptualize key issues of natural resource management and the resource curse in oil-rich countries and understand the challenges facing those countries in managing the natural resources.

Essential infrastructures and relevant policies for renewable energy developments in oil-rich developing countries: Case of Iran

It is evident that the impacts of various implemented policies for Renewable Energy (RE) developments are not similar in every country. There are rather the associations of benefits to be gained from specific relevant measures that are to be identified for overcoming various obstacles preventing the REs integration in a specific country. The purpose of the present research is to introduce the critical required infrastructures, both hard and soft ones, and to identify those prevailing policies which are of most relevance for RE developments in oil-rich countries; like Iran as a case study. The essentialities of the introduced infrastructures are approved through expertise critical insights into REs approaches in some developing countries as pattern examples for the contributive diagnostic remedies and problem-solving guidelines presented in this research article; focusing the on oil-rich countries for the first time. The research statistical population consists of 50 people, including senior executives and experts in the Iranian RE sectors. A census sampling method was used and researcher-made questionnaires were used for data collection and SPSS23 and LISREL 8.8 were used for data analysis. The quantitatively obtained data indicate that the government supports to foreign investors, power purchase agreement and current Feed-in-Tariff have positive effects, amounting to 0.74, 0.52 and 0.68 respectively, on REs market in Iran. This research in terms of purpose is practical because it can solve or help to improve REs restructures and services in Iran and rather would be applicable in some other regional states with similar status.