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Is the price effect on fuel consumption symmetric? Some evidence from an empirical study

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  • Sentenac-Chemin, Elodie

Abstract

We generally consider that the price elasticity of the energy demand is quite small. But it appears that strong increases in gasoline price lead to modifications in consumer behaviors. The high volatility of petroleum prices and the strong increases since the beginning of 2000 justify an analysis of price effects on gasoline consumption. We estimate the effects of price variations on gasoline consumption, in the United States and India. We use a co-integration modelling to test for long-run relationship between gasoline consumption, income, price and vehicle ownership in the two countries. We use an error correction model to test for short-run prices effects and more precisely for asymmetric effects on demand of increases and decreases in gasoline prices. The main conclusions are the following. Concerning the United States, the long-term price elasticity is relatively high for an industrialised country because gasoline taxes are low, but we show that households are more sensitive to a price increase than a price decrease. About India, price elasticity in the long-run is quite high but is quite small in the short-run. It is not surprising for an emergent country. It seems that there is no asymmetric effect of price variations on gasoline consumption.

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  • Sentenac-Chemin, Elodie, 2012. "Is the price effect on fuel consumption symmetric? Some evidence from an empirical study," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 59-65.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:41:y:2012:i:c:p:59-65
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2010.07.016
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    4. Kakali Kanjilal & Sajal Ghosh, 2018. "Revisiting income and price elasticity of gasoline demand in India: new evidence from cointegration tests," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 55(4), pages 1869-1888, December.
    5. Marbuah, George, 2014. "Understanding crude oil import demand behaviour in Ghana," MPRA Paper 60436, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Muhammad Omer, 2018. "Estimating Elasticity of Transport Fuel Demand in Pakistan," SBP Working Paper Series 96, State Bank of Pakistan, Research Department.
    7. Fedoseeva, Svetlana & Zeidan, Rodrigo, 2018. "How (a)symmetric is the response of import demand to changes in its determinants? Evidence from European energy imports," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 379-394.
    8. Vietha Devia SS, 2019. "Analysis of Crude Oil Price and Exchange Rate Volatility on Macroeconomic Variables (Case Study of Indonesia as Emerging Economic Country)," International Journal of Business and Administrative Studies, Professor Dr. Bahaudin G. Mujtaba, vol. 5(5), pages 257-271.
    9. Hössinger, Reinhard & Link, Christoph & Sonntag, Axel & Stark, Juliane, 2017. "Estimating the price elasticity of fuel demand with stated preferences derived from a situational approach," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 154-171.
    10. Baranzini, Andrea & Weber, Sylvain, 2013. "Elasticities of gasoline demand in Switzerland," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 674-680.
    11. Shaw, Charles, 2020. "Econometric Analysis of Demand for Petrol in India, 1966-2019," MPRA Paper 104797, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Murali, Palanichamy & Hari, Kuppusamy & Karpagam, Chidambara & Govindaraj, Gurrappa & Subhagowri, Jaganthan, 2015. "Biofuel Production, Sustainability and Food Security in India," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 212512, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    13. Wadud, Zia, 2014. "The asymmetric effects of income and fuel price on air transport demand," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 92-102.
    14. Chi, Junwook, 2016. "Long- and short-run asymmetric responses of motor-vehicle travel to fuel price variations: New evidence from a nonlinear ARDL approach," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 126-134.

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