Oil production cost, financial development, and economic growth in Russia

Abstract

The study investigates the causal relationship between fossil energy sources, the production cost of oil and financial development on economic growth in Russia. The results show that Russian companies’ production cost of oil and oil prices cause economic growth and the one-way causality is negative. We also find that there is one-way positive causality from natural gas price, financial development, and education to economic growth. The negative oil price effect supports the resource curse hypothesis, whereas the positive natural gas price effect does not. Russian policies should focus on lowering companies’ production cost of oil, improving financial development and investing in education.