Why so controversial? The dilemma of trying to assess energy subsidies
Energy subsidies are a controversial policy tool, and assessing them confronts an analyst with an even greater dilemma. A lot of this is due to the nature of subsidies: they are by default elusive as a concept, and invite starkly differing views on which benchmark price to assess them against. Subsi...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
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Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
2012
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| _version_ | 1797058874129252352 |
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| author | El-Katiri, L Fattouh, B |
| author_facet | El-Katiri, L Fattouh, B |
| author_sort | El-Katiri, L |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Energy subsidies are a controversial policy tool, and assessing them confronts an analyst with an even greater dilemma. A lot of this is due to the nature of subsidies: they are by default elusive as a concept, and invite starkly differing views on which benchmark price to assess them against. Subsidies can be implicit or off-budget, and as such raise doubts by some as to whether they should indeed be considered subsidies at all. Subsidies are also intended to fulfil very legitimate policy concerns such as welfare and development objectives, with diverging views on the effectiveness of subsidies in delivering on these policy goals. Finally, adverse experience with failed reform, and the political cost of popular protest against energy price rises renders the reform of energy subsidies in the eyes of many policymakers too costly. What is needed is a more constructive approach towards energy subsidies – with the acknowledgement that subsidies may achieve some of the intended objectives but also have important unintended consequences. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T19:56:31Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:25cb5087-581c-4fde-8b0a-23ea620f64fc |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T19:56:31Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| publisher | Oxford Institute for Energy Studies |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:25cb5087-581c-4fde-8b0a-23ea620f64fc2022-03-26T11:57:33ZWhy so controversial? The dilemma of trying to assess energy subsidiesJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:25cb5087-581c-4fde-8b0a-23ea620f64fcEnglishOxford University Research Archive - ValetOxford Institute for Energy Studies2012El-Katiri, LFattouh, BEnergy subsidies are a controversial policy tool, and assessing them confronts an analyst with an even greater dilemma. A lot of this is due to the nature of subsidies: they are by default elusive as a concept, and invite starkly differing views on which benchmark price to assess them against. Subsidies can be implicit or off-budget, and as such raise doubts by some as to whether they should indeed be considered subsidies at all. Subsidies are also intended to fulfil very legitimate policy concerns such as welfare and development objectives, with diverging views on the effectiveness of subsidies in delivering on these policy goals. Finally, adverse experience with failed reform, and the political cost of popular protest against energy price rises renders the reform of energy subsidies in the eyes of many policymakers too costly. What is needed is a more constructive approach towards energy subsidies – with the acknowledgement that subsidies may achieve some of the intended objectives but also have important unintended consequences. |
| spellingShingle | El-Katiri, L Fattouh, B Why so controversial? The dilemma of trying to assess energy subsidies |
| title | Why so controversial? The dilemma of trying to assess energy subsidies |
| title_full | Why so controversial? The dilemma of trying to assess energy subsidies |
| title_fullStr | Why so controversial? The dilemma of trying to assess energy subsidies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Why so controversial? The dilemma of trying to assess energy subsidies |
| title_short | Why so controversial? The dilemma of trying to assess energy subsidies |
| title_sort | why so controversial the dilemma of trying to assess energy subsidies |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT elkatiril whysocontroversialthedilemmaoftryingtoassessenergysubsidies AT fattouhb whysocontroversialthedilemmaoftryingtoassessenergysubsidies |