Elasticity Analysis of Fossil Energy Sources for Sustainable Economies: A Case of Gasoline Consumption in Turkey

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Diesel is used in vehicles too. It would be good to know what the diesel-gasoline breakdown is in Turkey. What is different among the three recent papers on gasoline in Turkey and the present paper? Since you seem interested in long-run and short-run, why don’t you use a dynamic model. Furthermore, the use of quarterly data suggests that dynamics should be taken into account. I’m not sure what the decomposition analysis adds. I’d leave this out/consider for a different paper. The “population effect” is particularly confusing since age structure change/household composition change is how population might impact gasoline consumption (Liddle 2004).

 

Liddle, B. 2004. Demographic Dynamics and Per Capita Environmental Impact: Using Panel Regressions and Household Decompositions to Examine Population and Transport. Population and Environment, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 23-39.

Author Response

 

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Reviewer 2 Report

The paper examines the sensitivity of gasoline consumption to household income and gasoline prices, and find the sensitivity to be positive for household income and negative for gasoline prices. This analysis and finding pertain to a common-sense issue, and do not advance our knowledge and understanding in this research field. However, it is important to further investigates how (i) changes in the pricing of private cars, (ii) changes in both the quantity and quality of transport services and transport-related infrastructures, and (iii) changes in taxation on private car purchases would affect gasoline consumption and the foregoing sensitivity. Accordingly, the authors need to switch their paper’s focus on examining further the above three important issues. This will make the paper contribute meaningfully to the literature.

Secondly, it is also important that, in all the paper’s related analyses, the authors distinguish gasoline consumptions by usage of private cars versus gasoline consumptions by public transports.

If the authors can fully address all the above issues, the paper can be publishable at the journal. I wish the authors all the best in carrying their works forward for the publication.

Last but not least, the exposition of the paper is substandard and poor, on which the authors need to take substantive effort to improve.  

 

Author Response

 

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Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

I'm not convinced that the decomposition adds anything. But, the line in the abstract about population dynamics having a not substantial impact is incorrect. The authors have assumed that population's elasticity is one so they have assumed a proportional impact for population. The do not analyze population dynamics (e.g., age structure change).

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Reviewer 2 Report

The authors do not address the concerns raised in the first round’s review, and just acknowledge corresponding limitations at the end of the revised manuscript. Unless there is any word count restriction (imposed by the journal) that prevents the authors from addressing the concerns, I recommend the authors to take effort to address them in a new draft. I iterate my points below which are raised in my first round’s review. “The paper examines the sensitivity of gasoline consumption to household income and gasoline prices, and find the sensitivity to be positive for household income and negative for gasoline prices. This analysis and finding pertain to a common-sense issue, and do not advance our knowledge and understanding in this research field. However, it is important to further investigates how (i) changes in the pricing of private cars, (ii) changes in both the quantity and quality of transport services and transport-related infrastructures, and (iii) changes in taxation on private car purchases would affect gasoline consumption and the foregoing sensitivity. Accordingly, the authors need to switch their paper’s focus on examining further the above three important issues. This will make the paper contribute meaningfully to the literature. Secondly, it is also important that, in all the paper’s related analyses, the authors distinguish gasoline consumptions by usage of private cars versus gasoline consumptions by public transports. Lastly, the exposition of the paper is substandard and poor, on which the authors need to take substantive effort to improve.

Author Response

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Round 3

Reviewer 2 Report

The authors do not mitigate the following concerns raised in the first round’s review: how (i) changes in the pricing of private cars and (iii) changes in taxation on private car purchases would affect gasoline consumption and the foregoing sensitivity. Accordingly, the authors need to switch their paper’s focus on examining further the above three important issues. This will make the paper contribute meaningfully to the literature. Secondly, it is important for the authors to distinguish gasoline consumptions by usage of private cars versus gasoline consumptions by public transports.

I understand that the authors do not have the data on hand to implement the above analysis. However, more revision time (say, at least 3 months) should be given to collect the related data for addressing the above concerns.

 

Author Response

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