رسائل ماجيستير
English
2025
Analyzing the Effect of Energy Transition on the Economic Performance of OPEC+ Countries
Hanan Nase, Zeyad AlAamer
الجامعة الأمريكية بالبحرين · البحرين
performance of OPEC+ countries, focusing on the period from 2015 to 2023. Utilizing the World Economic Forum's Energy Transition Index (ETI), this research examines how progress toward sustainable energy systems influences the key economic indicators of GDP growth, inflation, and foreign direct investment (FDI). Employing an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) econometric framework, this study captures both short-term dynamics and explores potential long-term trends.
Results indicate that immediate economic impacts from improved ETI scores are positive yet statistically insignificant, highlighting that economic dividends from energy transition policies may emerge gradually over longer periods. The analysis expresses the persistent linkage between economic growth and hydrocarbon-based activities within OPEC+ economies, as evidenced by the significant positive relationship between GDP growth and CO₂ emissions. Inflation appeared associated with growth but without strong statistical significance, suggesting that macroeconomic stability remains crucial yet secondary to
hydrocarbon market dynamics. A supplementary analysis revealed oil price fluctuations to be significant yet not wholly determinative in explaining variations in GDP growth,
reinforcing the critical need for economic diversification.
The thesis identifies several strategic policy recommendations, emphasizing intensified economic diversification efforts, accelerated renewable energy investments, enhancement of institutional capacities, sensible macroeconomic management, and comprehensive
monitoring and evaluation frameworks. Despite methodological strengths, this research acknowledges limitations, including a limited time-based dataset, aggregated country data potentially obscuring national-level heterogeneity, variable multicollinearity, and inherent measurement constraints within composite indices like the ETI.
Future research avenues include longitudinal panel studies, qualitative case analyses of successful transitions, deeper exploration of institutional factors, sector-specific impacts, and investigations into emerging technologies. Overall, this research provides critical insights and guidance for OPEC+ policymakers aiming to navigate the complexities of the global energy transition, balancing immediate economic pressures with long-term sustainability and resilience objectives.