The plunge in world oil prices has brought further difficulties to U.S. oil production, which has been declining in recent years. At the current low prices, most domestic oil wells are not profitable. This calls into question the long-run viability of oil production in the United States. Whether...

Economic shocks are not always negative. Indeed, this article suggests that the energy extraction industry is experiencing a positive shock caused by two new technologies - three-dimensional imaging and directional drilling. Combined, these techniques have lowered the net extraction costs of oil...

Various reasons have been given to explain downturns in U.S. economic activity since World War II. Romer and Romer (1989) argued that these recessions were primarily associated with monetary contractions, while Hamilton (1983) and others attributed them to oil price increases. We investigate...