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The Impacts of Food- and Oil Price Shocks on the Namibian Economy: the Role of Water Scarcity

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  • Sahlén, Linda

    (Department of Economics, Umeå University)

Abstract

The recent increases in international food and oil prices have raised concerns about how these exogenous shocks will affect the economic activity as well as poverty in developing countries. In this paper, the effects of international food and oil price increases on the Namibian economy are studied by means of a Computable General Equilibrium model. As a corn and oil importing Sub-Saharan African country, Namibia is among the countries considered to be particularly vulnerable to these price shocks. Besides, since Namibia is also one of the driest Sub-Saharan countries, the role of water scarcity is explicitly addressed in this particular context. The results show that the Namibian economy will be negatively affected by the food and oil price increases. In the case where the supply of water is assumed to be constant, it is shown that there will be even less ability to adapt for the economy, thus resulting in a more significant decrease in GDP than in the case where additional water sources are assumed to be available.

Suggested Citation

  • Sahlén, Linda, 2008. "The Impacts of Food- and Oil Price Shocks on the Namibian Economy: the Role of Water Scarcity," Umeå Economic Studies 758, Umeå University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:umnees:0758
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    computable general equilibrium model; food prices; oil prices; water scarcity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D58 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Computable and Other Applied General Equilibrium Models
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy
    • Q25 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Water

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