Energy Sector

COVID affects various sectors of the economy, including energy. Measuring these effects on the energy sector can help policymakers adopt appropriate protectionist policies. In this paper, the effect of COVID shock on energy and non-energy sectors has been investigated using the DSGE model. For this purpose, two shocks of preferences and shocks of labor supply have been used. This article adds COVID to the model as well as adding energy to the New Keynesian model. The effect of COVID on the energy and non-energy sectors of the two channels of labor supply and consumer preferences has been investigated. The results of the study indicate that consumption, investment, and production in the energy sector have increased under the influence of both shocks. But consumption, investment and production in non-energy sector have declined. Prices and production costs have increased in both sectors. Also, the negative effects of the preferences shock were greater than the negative effects of the labor supply shock.

This study investigates the constructs and related theories that drive social capital in energy sector from the intention perspectives. This research uses theories of ‘social support’ and ‘planned behaviour’ alongside satisfaction and perceived value to propose a research model that drives social capital for energy sectors in Malaysia. The model reveals that the Theories of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and Social Support Theory (SST) alongside satisfaction and perceived value factors promote social capital development in energy sectors. Using PLS–SEM to analyse data gathered from energy sector employees in Malaysia, this research demonstrates that social capital is present when there is trust and loyalty among the users and positively effects energy sectors in terms of the productivity, effectiveness, efficiency and profitability. The study also contributes to the understanding of individuals' use of social capital in energy sector. A survey is adapted and distributed to 100 respondents as a mean to study on the validity and reliability of the research factors. Results indicate that all seven hypotheses proposed significantly influence social capital.

Economic sanctions, involving trade restrictions imposed by one country or a group of countries against another, come in various forms, such as tariffs, trade barriers, and import/export restrictions. In recent times, Iran and Russia have become targets of diverse economic sanctions imposed by the Western Bloc. Given that both countries heavily rely on their energy sectors as the bedrock of their economies, this study focuses on assessing the impact of Western sanctions on Iran and Russia's energy industries. Employing the Futurology method (Scenario planning), the research examines the effects of Western sanctions on the energy sectors of Iran and Russia, and explores their respective responses to mitigate these adverse consequences. The findings highlight four potential scenarios for the future of the Iranian and Russian energy sectors, based on two megatrends of sanctions and geopolitical tensions. Among these scenarios, the "Ideal scenario" emerges as the most favorable outcome, while the "Austerity scenario" poses the greatest challenges. Despite the short-term efficacy of these strategies, the study underscores heightened long-term investment risks in both nations. Consequently, foreign investors' participation in the oil and gas sectors of Iran and Russia is expected to decline.