VoxEU: The trade consequences of the oil price

Former OxCARRE researchers Pierre-Louis Vézina (King's College, London) and David van Below (Copenhagen Economics) write on VoxEU,

The trade consequences of the oil price

The price of oil rose to unprecedented highs in the 2000s, and its recent plunge took many by surprise. Although there are many consequences of such price fluctuations on the world economy, they are notoriously difficult to pin down. This column examines the trade consequences of varying shipping costs caused by oil price fluctuations. High oil prices are found to increase the distance elasticity of trade, making trade less global. The recent drop in oil prices could thus be a boon for globalisation.

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