World Sociopolitical Studies
Volume:7 Issue: 1, Winter 2023

Economic sanctions, involving trade restrictions imposed by one country or a group of countries against another, come in various forms, such as tariffs, trade barriers, and import/export restrictions. In recent times, Iran and Russia have become targets of diverse economic sanctions imposed by the Western Bloc. Given that both countries heavily rely on their energy sectors as the bedrock of their economies, this study focuses on assessing the impact of Western sanctions on Iran and Russia's energy industries. Employing the Futurology method (Scenario planning), the research examines the effects of Western sanctions on the energy sectors of Iran and Russia, and explores their respective responses to mitigate these adverse consequences. The findings highlight four potential scenarios for the future of the Iranian and Russian energy sectors, based on two megatrends of sanctions and geopolitical tensions. Among these scenarios, the "Ideal scenario" emerges as the most favorable outcome, while the "Austerity scenario" poses the greatest challenges. Despite the short-term efficacy of these strategies, the study underscores heightened long-term investment risks in both nations. Consequently, foreign investors' participation in the oil and gas sectors of Iran and Russia is expected to decline.

This study investigates the relationship between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), political stability, and coal efficiency in Vietnam using time series analysis from 1985 to 2021. Results indicate that political stability positively influences coal efficiency, encouraging investments in cleaner technologies. However, inward FDI exhibits negative impacts on coal efficiency, indicating limited contributions to greener projects. Moreover, a 1% increase in sustainable power generation significantly improves coal efficiency. To enhance coal efficiency, practical policies are needed, including fostering a stable political environment, incentivizing FDI in energy-efficient technologies, collaborating for technology transfer, investing in research and development, and promoting sustainable power generation. These strategies can aid Vietnam in reducing coal reliance and transitioning towards a more sustainable energy landscape.

The Unconventional Gas Production Revolution in the US has ushered in new opportunities for American petrochemical companies, granting abundant access to gas resources and fostering business growth. Consequently, prominent global petrochemical firms have made substantial investments in the United States' petrochemical and chemical industries. Simultaneously, the surge in gas production from unconventional reserves in the US has led to considerable growth in the country's petrochemical output. To address this crucial topic, we conducted a comprehensive time series analysis, investigating the long and short-term relationships between oil and polyethylene prices in the US during the shale gas development phase. Employing an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model for the period spanning from January 2013 to December 2017, our research findings reveal that, in the long run, there exists a positive and significant influence of the oil price variable on polyethylene prices. However, in the short term, no discernible impact on the polyethylene price variable was observed. Interestingly, the analysis also indicates a unidirectional causal relationship, with oil prices influencing polyethylene prices. This finding suggests that despite the divergence between oil and gas prices, oil remains a crucial determinant of petrochemical product pricing. The results underscore the significance of shale gas development and its impact on the petrochemical industry. As the US continues to experience increased gas production, comprehending the intricate relationships between oil, gas, and petrochemical prices becomes imperative for companies' strategic decision-making and policymakers alike.

The main question in this paper is to what extent communal land ownership (CLO) influences the utilization of environmentally friendly resources? To find the answer to this question, this study investigates the relationship between (CLO) and the adoption of environmentally sustainable resources in 12 emerging economies from 1990 to 2019, utilizing a panel data methodology. Findings suggest that (CLO) has a positive impact on promoting green resource utilization in the long term, whereas its short-term effects on green resource consumption are not substantial. Moreover, an immediate increase in GDP exhibits a negative influence, while a long-term rise positively affects the progression of green resource consumption. The Gini coefficient adversely affects the deployment of green resources, and heightened economic uncertainty leads to a reduction in their consumption. To harness the positive effects of (CLO) on green resource utilization, emerging economies should focus on implementing sustainable development education programs (ESD), bolstering green financial inclusivity, expanding poverty alleviation policies, enhancing functional literacy, and augmenting financial diffusion.

This paper analyses the motivations of outward Foreign Direct Investment pattern of Vietnam using the gravity theory and panel data of 159 economies worldwide during the 2007-2021 period. The author extends the gravity model proposed by Zhang & Daly (2011) to test the determinants of Vietnam's OFDI, divided into two strategy groups namely location selection and the amount of new registered OFDI capital. Results indicate that Vietnamese OFDI’s location choice was positively impacted by high levels of political stability, export relations, and proximity to Vietnam. Meanwhile, natural resource advantages and the other good governance factors in one economy do not have statistically significant effects on the location choice, whereas Vietnamese new registered OFDI amount is negatively affected by governance effectiveness, rule of law, and regulatory quality. Relatively, among all the determinants, low regulatory quality is the most powerful factor in increasing the new registered OFDI scale. As the main practical policy implications, issuing policies for promoting trade relations, launching the novel strategy of FDI neighbourhood policy are recommended.

This paper aims at defining the green economy index and using econometric models in order to investigate the relationship between the consumption of renewable energy in Egypt’s transition to a green economy. Results indicate that first, consumption of renewable energy can effectively increase the level of development of green economy in the short and long term. Second, improving capital spending and increasing employment leads to an increase in the green economy index. Third, the effect of non-renewable energy on the green economy index is inverse, although there is a direct relationship between non-renewable energy consumption and total energy consumption. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the green credit policy of the government and financial institutions in order to maximize the enhanced effect of renewable energy investment on the green economy. The government must therefore develop a series of incentive measures to support and encourage investment in financing renewable energy, pay attention to the fundamental and guiding role of large enterprises in promoting renewable energy consumption and the development of the green economy, and fully mobilize the enthusiasm of all types of enterprises in promoting the development of the green economy.