فصلنامه مطالعات اقتصاد انرژی
پیاپی 59 (زمستان 1397)

The optimal allocation of natural gas, as an important source of energy, to different activities is critical for developing a resilient economy. This paper is thus investigating the optimal allocation of natural gas to various sectors based on the needs of a resilient economy.
We first undertake a literature review to develop criteria for prioritizing use of natural gas and then interview a certain number of oil and gas experts, using the Shannon method, to determine the relative importance and quantitative value of major indexes. We chose a sample of 62 experts, based on the Cochran method, and classified our findings through use of the SPSS22 software and applying the t test. We then used the TOPSIS and multi-attribute decision -making technique to prioritize different uses of natural gas and determine the optimal share of each in limited gas resources.
Our results identify the following order in terms of factors to bear in mind in determining the optimal allocation of natural gas to different uses. The most important consideration is the resultant value added, followed by diversification of the energy basket, job creation, strategic requirements, energy security and social justice, as second to sixth important indicators for prioritizing different sectors. The optimal allocation of gas would assign top priority to exports, followed by injection into oil fields, use as feed in petrochemicals, as input in industry and power generation, with the lowest priority assigned to use in the household and commercial sectors.
JEL Classification: O13, C61, C53, D61, D81, Z39, Q41

This paper uses dynamic panel data and generalized method of moments to investigate the direct and indirect effects of corruption on carbon dioxide emissions for the period 2003 to 2012 in developed and developing countries. The results of the estimation indicate that corruption has a negative direct effect on CO2 emission through undermining enforcement of environmental regulations and a positive indirect effect through its negative impact on per capita GDP in developed and developing countries.The total effect, depends on the income level of the countries. Our study confirms the existence of an inverted U-shaped Environmental Kuznets Curve between CO2 emissions and GDP for developed countries and a U-shaped relation for developing countries. In the case of other variables, the lag of the dependent variable, the degree of openness of the economy and the energy consumption in both groups have a positive effect on the relationship between CO2 emissions and GDP, while the share of renewable energy has a negative effect.
JEL Classification: D73، Q53، C33

In order to optimize oil revenues, these revenues are currently allocated to the National Iranian Oil Company, the National Development Fund and the State Budget, in terms of percentates of total revenues. The share of the National Iranian Oil Company is 14.5 percent and division of the rest of revenues is decided by the Government. The purpose of the present research is to study the effect of this rule on the stability of inflation and GDP, and to determine the optimal share of the National Development Fund. We use the Bayesian Autoregressive model to study the effect of different shares of the Fund (20, 30, 40 and 50 percent) on inflation and GDP. The results show that the current fixed share of the Fund contributes to stability of inflation and GDP and that weaknesses in the Fund’s performance are not related to its fixed share of revenues. We estimate that the optimal share of the Fund out of oil revenues is 30 percent, which is consistent with honoring the 14.5 percent share of the National Iranian Oil Company investment and minimizing fluctuations in GDP and inflation.
JEL Classification: Q33, Q38, C11

For many years, the highest consumption of crude oil had belonged to developed countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and oil-rich countries. However, the global oil market has undergone major changes over the last two decades, one notable feature of which has been the surge in demand of emerging economies such as China and India and their increased share in the oil market. These changes have altered the structure of the oil market and factors that impact the supply and demand for crude oil. Given the reliance of the Iranian economy on oil revenues and the structure of the oil market, it is important for Iran to study the changing nature of the oil market.
In this paper we examine the interaction of the developed and emerging economies in the global crude oil market, using structural vector auto regression model for 1986 to 2016. Our results reveal that during this period, the impact of developed countries on the crude oil market has decreased while the impact of emerging economies has increased. Crude oil production is increasingly influenced by market-oriented forces. In addition, over the years, the impact of volatility of the crude oil market on the economics of developed and emerging economies has decreased.
JEL Classification: F02, C50, C32.

Simultaneously expansion planning of electricity and gas networks is a way to minimize investment costs of both networks. In this research, different methods of expansion planning are developed and studied in electricity and gas networks in a real-world case study in Khorasan province of Iran. The results of the proposed methods show that both integrated and alternative direction method of multipliers (ADMM) provide the same results. While in the proposed ADMM method each network operator is tackled independently. Also, in the case of independent expansion planning, the inconsistency between electricity and gas networks leads to high expansion costs for the entire network. The results of the research in the Leader-Follower method also indicate that by supposing the gas network as a follower, more expansion cost is imposed to the gas network in comparison to the integrated method. The load response program can also reduce the expansion cost in both gas and electricity networks.

Developing local content and promoting the use of domestic capacities in the oil industry as one of the main drivers in the country's development requires identifying and adopting appropriate strategies. For this purpose, in the present study, after considering the policies of some countries and other empirical and theoretical studies, the policies were carefully identified and confirmed by the experts through questionnaires and surveys. On the other hand, in order to rank these policies according to the country's situation, indicators were designed through the focal group and provided to experts for validation and weighting. The final ranking of policies based on the weight of the indicators indicates that the determination of the specific percentage for the use of manpower and raw materials, long-term contracts with foreign companies, and the requirement for the replacement of forces and domestic companies gradually and determining financial incentives for the full use of manpower and domestic materials are in the top priority. The final part of the paper reviews the status of the laws, regulations, and contracts of the country in this regard and provides policy analysis

The purpose of this study is to provide a dynamic system based prediction of energy efficiency and to examine how various factors affect it in petrochemical companies owned by Mostazafan Foundation. Accordingly, we design and simulate a system dynamic model with three sub-sectors of production and energy consumption, subsection of demand and production capacity and financial subsector for petrochemical companies owned by Mostazafan Foundation. The simulation results indicate that rising product prices lead to increased energy consumption and reduced energy efficiency, while foreign investment increased energy efficiency. We also note that an increase in market share did not affect energy efficiency, while an increase in energy input prices increases energy efficiency.
JEL Classification: C63, C61, Q47, Q59