Oil and the International Economy

The oil price increases of the 1970s left deep marks on the world economy. They led to a massive redistribution of income in favor of oil-producing countries, and caused serious disruption of growth, imbalances in foreign trade, and problems of stability in oil-importing countries. Despite the present levelling off, the authors suggest that more price increases remain a distinct possibility.Oil and the International Economy examines the effects of rising oil prices on the international financial system and identifies ways that oil-importing countries can overcome the financial and adjustment problems caused by them. The authors project the long-term trend in real oil prices and present economic policy options to help avoid future financial problems for industrialized and developing nations alike.Contents: The World Oil Market after the Oil Price Shocks; Future Trends in the Demand for Oil; Future Trends in the Supply of Oil; Balance-of-Payments and Exchange-Rate Adjustment: Current Account Developments in Times of Rising Oil Prices and Effects on Exchange Rates; The Effects of Real Oil Price Increases on Energy and Raw Material Prices; Repercussions on the General Price Level; Implications for the German Monetary and Exchange Rate Policy; Are Real Oil Price Increases a Brake on Growth?; Options for Economic Policy; The Struggle for Markets in the Oil-Producing Countries; The Oil-Producing Countries as Competitors in the Manufacturing Sector; Consequences for Trade Between Oil-Importing Countries.