Abstract
The Dutch State ( by means of the NAM- now Gasunie) extracts natural gas in the province of Groningen since 1964. What were the advantages and disadvantages for the province where most of the gas is found? This is a serious question. Lots of people express the opinion that there was no profit for the people living around. This article assesses the costs and benefits for the inhabitants of the province of Groningen. Between 1965 and 1975 the effects on jobs was clearly positive. For the later decades this is less clear because of business cycle effects. In these years income transfers like government payments and welfare benefits became extremely important. These were strongly stimulated by the revenues the state obtained on the gas market. The article doesn’t incorporate the post 1990 effects of the earthquakes on house value and direct damage.
Translated title of the contribution | What did Natural gas mean for the province of Groningen? |
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Original language | Dutch |
Pages (from-to) | 96-111 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Historisch Jaarboek Groningen |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |
Keywords
- regional economic growth
- natural gas markets