IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/imf/imfwpa/2015-030.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Energy Subsidies in Latin America and the Caribbean: Stocktaking and Policy Challenges

Author

Listed:
  • Gabriel Di Bella
  • Mr. Lawrence Norton
  • Mr. Joseph Ntamatungiro
  • Ms. Sumiko Ogawa
  • Issouf Samaké
  • Marika Santoro

Abstract

The oil price decline creates an opportunity to dismantle energy subsidies, which escalated with high oil prices. This paper assesses energy subsidies in Latin America and the Caribbean—about 1.8 percent of GDP in 2011–13 (approximately evenly split between fuel and electricity), and about 3.8 percent of GDP including negative externalities. Countries with poorer institutions subsidize more. Energy-rich countries subsidize fuel more, but low-income countries are more likely to subsidize electricity, as are Central America and the Caribbean. Energy subsidies impose fiscal costs, hurting SOEs, competitiveness, and distribution. The paper overviews country experience with subsidy reform, drawing lessons.

Suggested Citation

  • Gabriel Di Bella & Mr. Lawrence Norton & Mr. Joseph Ntamatungiro & Ms. Sumiko Ogawa & Issouf Samaké & Marika Santoro, 2015. "Energy Subsidies in Latin America and the Caribbean: Stocktaking and Policy Challenges," IMF Working Papers 2015/030, International Monetary Fund.
    • Handle: RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2015/030
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=42708
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kojima, Masami, 2013. "Petroleum product pricing and complementary policies: experience of 65 developing countries since 2009," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6396, The World Bank.
    2. Mr. David Coady & Mr. Taimur Baig & Mr. Joseph Ntamatungiro & Mr. Amine Mati, 2007. "Domestic Petroleum Product Prices and Subsidies: Recent Developments and Reform Strategies," IMF Working Papers 2007/071, International Monetary Fund.
    3. Plante, Michael, 2014. "The long-run macroeconomic impacts of fuel subsidies," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 129-143.
    4. Helena Garcia Romero & Laura Calderon Etter, 2013. "The Political Economy of Fuel Subsidies in Colombia," OECD Environment Working Papers 61, OECD Publishing.
    5. John M. Piotrowski & David Coady & Justin Tyson & Rolando Ossowski & Robert Gillingham & Shamsuddin Tareq, 2010. "Petroleum Product Subsidies; Costly, Inequitable, and On the Rise," IMF Staff Position Notes 2010/05, International Monetary Fund.
    6. Jesus Cañas & Michael D. Plante, 2014. "Reforma Energética: Mexico takes first steps to overhaul oil industry," Southwest Economy, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, issue Q2, pages 16-19.
    7. Arze del Granado, Francisco Javier & Coady, David & Gillingham, Robert, 2012. "The Unequal Benefits of Fuel Subsidies: A Review of Evidence for Developing Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(11), pages 2234-2248.
    8. Maria Vagliasindi & John Besant-Jones, 2013. "Power Market Structure : Revisiting Policy Options," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 13115.
    9. Plante, Michael, 2014. "The long-run macroeconomic impacts of fuel subsidies," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 129-143.
    10. Mr. Benedict F. W. Bingham & Mr. James Daniel & Mr. Giulio Federico, 2001. "Domestic Petroleum Price Smoothing in Developing and Transition Countries," IMF Working Papers 2001/075, International Monetary Fund.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Plante, Michael, 2011. "The long-run macroeconomic impacts of fuel subsidies in an oil-importing developing country," MPRA Paper 33823, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Chebbi, Ali, 2019. "How to enlarge the fiscal space and gain efficiency when adopting automatic fuel pricing mechanisms? The Tunisian case," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 34-43.
    3. Gerhard Glomm & Juergen Jung, 2015. "A Macroeconomic Analysis Of Energy Subsidies In A Small Open Economy," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 53(4), pages 1783-1806, October.
    4. Chadi ABDALLAH & Roland Kangni KPODAR, 2016. "Dynamic Fuel Price Pass-Through : Evidence from a New Global Retail Fuel Price Database," Working Papers 3669, FERDI.
    5. Charles E. McLure, 2014. "Reforming subsidies for fossil fuel consumption: Killing several birds with one stone," Chapters, in: Richard M. Bird & Jorge Martinez-Vazquez (ed.), Taxation and Development: The Weakest Link?, chapter 8, pages 238-284, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. Kojima, Masami, 2013. "Petroleum product pricing and complementary policies: experience of 65 developing countries since 2009," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6396, The World Bank.
    7. Cecile Couharde & Sara Mouhoud, 2020. "Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Income Inequality, And Poverty: Evidence From Developing Countries," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(5), pages 981-1006, December.
    8. Mr. Kangni R Kpodar & Mr. Chadi Abdallah, 2016. "Dynamic Fuel Price Pass-Through: Evidence from a New Global Retail Fuel Price Database," IMF Working Papers 2016/254, International Monetary Fund.
    9. Chadi ABDALLAH & Roland Kangni KPODAR, 2016. "Dynamic Fuel Price Pass-Through : Evidence from a New Global Retail Fuel Price Database," Working Papers 3667, FERDI.
    10. Mr. Kangni R Kpodar & Ms. Stefania Fabrizio & Kodjovi M. Eklou, 2019. "Export Competitiveness - Fuel Price Nexus in Developing Countries: Real or False Concern?," IMF Working Papers 2019/025, International Monetary Fund.
    11. Lucas W. Davis, 2017. "The Environmental Cost of Global Fuel Subsidies," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(KAPSARC S).
    12. Arzaghi, Mohammad & Squalli, Jay, 2015. "How price inelastic is demand for gasoline in fuel-subsidizing economies?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 117-124.
    13. Morakinyo O. Adetutu & Thomas G. Weyman-Jones, 2019. "Fuel Subsidies Versus Market Power: Is There a Countervailing Second-Best Optimum?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 74(4), pages 1619-1646, December.
    14. Kojima, Masami, 2013. "Drawing a roadmap for oil pricing reform," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6450, The World Bank.
    15. Yau, Ruey & Chen, Guan-Han, 2021. "Assessing energy subsidy policies in a structural macroeconomic model," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    16. Bah, Muhammad Maladoh & Saari, M. Yusof, 2020. "Quantifying the impacts of energy price reform on living expenses in Saudi Arabia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    17. Pradeep, Siddhartha, 2022. "Impact of diesel price reforms on asymmetricity of oil price pass-through to inflation: Indian perspective," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 26(C).
    18. Plante, Michael, 2014. "The long-run macroeconomic impacts of fuel subsidies," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 129-143.
    19. Hafedh Bouakez & Nooman Rebei & Désiré Vencatachellum, 2008. "Optimal Pass-Through of Oil Prices in an Economy with Nominal Rigidities," Cahiers de recherche 0831, CIRPEE.
    20. Kpodar, Kangni & Abdallah, Chadi, 2017. "Dynamic fuel price pass-through: Evidence from a new global retail fuel price database," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 303-312.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2015/030. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Akshay Modi (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/imfffus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.