Manzano, Baltasar

  • Primary Program Energy Macro & Macroeconomics
  • Research Interests Energy and the Macroeconomy, Energy and the Environment, Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Models, Public Economics and Optimal Policy

Biography

Baltasar is an associate professor of economics at the University of Vigo and has been a visiting researcher at KAPSARC since 2014. From 2005 to 2009, he served as an economic advisor to the president of Galicia. Baltasar has a Ph.D. in economics from the Universidad Complutense, Madrid  and has published extensively in academic journals, mainly focusing on the intersection of macroeconomics and energy.

Publications

See all Baltasar’s publications
  • Discussion papers
  • Methodology paper
  • Instant Insight
  • KAPSARC journal articles
  • Think20 (T20)
Resilience of Saudi Arabia’s Economy to Oil Shocks: Effects of Economic Reforms

Resilience of Saudi Arabia’s Economy to Oil Shocks: Effects of Economic Reforms

We assess the extent to which the implementation of Saudi Vision 2030 policies enhances the Saudi economy’s resilience to oil price and production shocks, and to the productivity of tradable and non-tradable goods. We extend Blazquez et al.’s (2021) dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model to capture the country’s economic diversification policies and build a resilience index based on impulse responses to shocks.    

23rd September 2022
The Value of Saving Oil in Saudi Arabia

The Value of Saving Oil in Saudi Arabia

What is the value of saving a barrel of oil that would otherwise had been consumed domestically? This study explores the question, taking a long-run perspective into a general equilibrium approach. In the case of Saudi Arabia, the difference between the domestic price of oil and the international price represents an opportunity to improve economic efficiency across different activities and sectors. In this context, we study different policies aimed to reduce the domestic consumption of oil.

25th March 2018
Prices Versus Policy: An Analysis of the Drivers of the Fossil Fuel Energy Mix

Prices Versus Policy: An Analysis of the Drivers of the Fossil Fuel Energy Mix

Understanding how the composition of a country’s energy mix is formed in an environment where greater government involvement is anticipated due to climate change obligations is critical. This paper is part of a project analyzing drivers of the mix and the transition to a future energy mix where renewables will have a key role. This initial study considers the fossil fuel mix in the U.S., Germany and the U.K. by undertaking a macroeconomic analysis of the importance of prices relative to policy in shaping the mix for these economies over the last 35 years.

5th October 2016
Challenges for Widespread Renewable Energy Deployment

Challenges for Widespread Renewable Energy Deployment

Part of the policy strategy to avert the worst outcomes of global climate change is a transition to low carbon energy on an unprecedented scale. In particular, strong incentives are in place to promote the competitiveness of renewable energy technologies, stimulate their rapid uptake and displace fossil fuel power generation. In this paper we argue that the penetration of renewable energy into the power market can directly result in a price response of fossil fuels which in turn affects the relative competitiveness of renewable power generation, thereby reducing the rate of the renewable energy transition or increasing the cost of the policy support measures required to achieve it. The price response we hypothesise is distinct from the Green Paradox and Carbon Leakage theories, which in different ways address the effect of climate change policy on the extraction and use of fossil fuels. In order to assess the possible existence and scale of the problem, we identify a price response mechanism backed by standard economic theory, based on the specific characteristics of the fossil fuel markets considered, e.g., coal and natural gas.

1st June 2016
Natural Resource Revenue Management Strategies in Developing Countries: A Calibrated Macroeconomic Model for Uganda

Natural Resource Revenue Management Strategies in Developing Countries: A Calibrated Macroeconomic Model for Uganda

Recent natural resource discoveries in Eastern Africa provide an opportunity to boost economic development. However, this opportunity brings with it potential challenges in the form of ‘Dutch disease’ and, potentially, the ‘resource curse’. A companion paper to this report: Managing Macroeconomic Risks Arising from Natural Resource Revenues in Developing Countries: A review of the Challenges for East Africa sets out the current state of thinking on the issues of Dutch disease, resource curse, the applicability of the permanent income hypothesis (PIH) in populous, developing economies and the impact of absorptive capacity constraints.

24th December 2015
Macroeconomic Challenges for Eastern Africa

Macroeconomic Challenges for Eastern Africa

Recent natural resource discoveries in Eastern Africa provide an enormous opportunity to boost economic development. However, success is not inevitable and the causes of failure have been extensively researched during recent years. This paper summarizes the challenges that can beset such opportunities.

6th September 2015
K-DSGE: A Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Model for Saudi Arabia

K-DSGE: A Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Model for Saudi Arabia

This paper describes a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model of the Saudi Arabian economy, developed by KAPSARC researchers. The K-DSGE model is to be used for simulations and experiments to assess the impact of economic reforms within the Saudi Vision 2030 framework. The model will also complement the suite of models currently used at KAPSARC for macroeconomic analysis, to assess the impact of the Kingdom’s public policies.

3rd February 2020
How does Saudi Arabia’s recent energy performance compare with other G20 countries?

How does Saudi Arabia’s recent energy performance compare with other G20 countries?

The 68th annual edition of the BP Statistical Review, released recently, is a comprehensive account and analysis of global energy data. Saudi Arabia will be hosting the G20 summit in 2020, and the release of BP’s annual compilation provides a good opportunity to benchmark the Kingdom against its G20 peers. The G20 summit is an international economic forum for the  governments and central bank governors from 19 countries and the European Union. Member countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

20th August 2019

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