The Oil and the Middle East Research Programme of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies was established in 2009. It is dedicated to the advanced study of contemporary oil markets, production, consumption and policy. With a historical focus on the resource-rich economies of the Middle East, research on the Programme has expanded to include major non-OPEC producing regions such as North America and Russia, and emerging energy markets such as China and India.
This research stream encompasses the study of oil price cycles, evolution of pricing benchmarks, behaviour of oil market participants, the impact of new supply sources on market dynamics, producer-consumer relations, and international oil and product trade flows.
Research under this stream relates to the economic prospects for conventional and unconventional production in the world’s major producing economies as well as newly emerging provinces, and includes the Middle East, Africa, North America and Russia. It covers topics such as the evolution of fiscal regimes.
The programme’s third main research stream focuses on emerging centres of energy demand outside traditional OECD energy consumers. Research under this stream analyses demand and supply patterns in emerging energy markets, including Russia, India, China, Latin America and Africa.
The fourth key area of research concentrates on the management of natural resource wealth within resource-rich economies, including resource-based development strategies and economic growth, distribution of natural resource rents, challenges related to domestic demand growth, diversification, and the deployment of renewables.
Research is disseminated via a dedicated research paper series, short energy comments and contributions to academic journals and specialised publications, in addition to a book series published by Oxford University Press. Members of programme staff have also been involved in a range of international collaborative publications, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Energy Forum (IEF). The Programme’s research group is composed of core staff, and draws on a network of external contributors from a wide range of disciplinary and professional backgrounds.
Contact Us
We are interested in hearing from students and researchers working on oil and the Middle East academically worldwide. For information about the programme and questions, please email; Bassam Fattouh
Following the sharp recovery in the oil price, the Brent price has been stuck in the narrow $40/b-$45/b range since July and despite the heightened uncertainty, volatility has been exceptionally low. What factors are driving the recent price behaviour? When will oil demand recover to its pre-virus level? What explains OPEC+ high compliance? Looking forward, […]
Following the sharp recovery in the oil price, which saw Brent increase by more than $16/b during the months of May and June 2020, the Brent price has been stuck in the narrow $40/b-$45/b range since July and despite the heightened uncertainty, volatility has been exceptionally low. On the one hand, this reflects the fact […]
Russia’s renewed interest in hedging its oil export revenues has sparked an old debate on whether macroeconomic policies to mitigate the consequences of commodity price volatility, such as establishing revenue stabilization funds to smooth government expenditure over time, should be augmented (or even substituted) by the use of financial instruments such as futures and options. […]
In an effort to increase oil export revenue and to meet local electricity demands, the Kuwaiti government is planning to replace the majority of crude and petroleum products with imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) in its power generation by 2030. The basic motivation for this plan is that it will enable freeing crude and petroleum […]
The proposal is to write a series of papers around the theme of how well-adapted MENA institutions and sector governance are to undertaking and facilitating an economically-optimal energy transition, in the face of increasingly disruptive technologies in the electricity sector (particularly solar, windpower, and energy storage). By “disruptive” technologies it is meant those technologies whose […]
Brunekreeft, Kusznir & Meyer article in latest OEF on how inadequacy of the current regulatory framework to incenti… https://t.co/SNw6nix3uA
Fattouh quoted in FT on OPEC strategy as corona virus muddies outlook for energy demand: If everyone fulfils their… https://t.co/66aJmA5LPX
Germany is under pressure to connect NS2 & Navalny incident but Russia would certainly see NS2 postponement/cancell… https://t.co/Qw5IvxXlFO
Due to decarbonisation targets, electricity grids face higher volatilities in network usage, but investments in gri… https://t.co/A5Hm5mvAic