Oil shock in the Caspian Basin: Diversification policy and subsidized economies

The recent oil price shocks of 2014 resulted in a substantial economic slowdown in the oil-exporting countries of the Caspian Basin, namely Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. These resource-reliant countries have encountered a contraction not only in the commodity sector, but also in the non-oil sector due to poor diversification of the economy, and cuts in budget expenditure amid plunging oil prices. By analyzing the underlying causes of the current crisis, this paper concludes that, the economies of these countries are “subsidized economies”, or based on government spending financed by resource windfalls. The non-resource sectors in these oil-exporting countries were poorly developed prior to the crisis and failed to act as an avenue for diversification, lacking the potential to be export-oriented and sustainable. Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan need to implement various reforms to support the diversification of the economy, including liberal measures such as eliminating barriers to market entry and promoting competition.