Does oil dependence cause energy risk?

• The work explores the effect of oil dependence on energy risk in 84 countries using annual data from 2000 to 2021, developing and developed nations as well • Energy risk, a novel variable is applied for the first time in academia • For the empirical estimations, the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) is employed, robust method to cope with heteroscedastic nature of the data, allowing to estimate the impact of oil dependence on energy risk at different quantiles of energy risk • The findings reveal that in the world sample and developing countries oil dependence causes energy risk, whereas in developed economies does not. These days, the issue of energy risk is becoming more prevalent worldwide. Particularly, the issue of oil dependence raises awareness. The previous studies provide very limited background to this issue because of the absence of an energy risk variable. In this context, this study is a pioneer as it empirically assesses the effect of oil dependence on energy risk, a novel variable that has never been applied before, in 84 countries using annual data from 2000 to 2021. The estimations are conducted in the sample of the world and development stage, employing the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR), which allows us to estimate the impact of oil dependence on energy risk at various quantiles of energy risk. The findings reveal that dependence on oil resources leads to energy risk in the world and developing countries, whereas in developed countries oil dependence does not cause energy risk. We assume that developed countries, with their advanced technological capabilities and strong international collaboration, have adopted various alternative energy sources. Therefore, as policy implications, enhancing energy source diversification is suggested since dependence of energy consumption on various sources mitigates oil dependence, thus energy risk. Furthermore, we emphasize the significance of technological progress, as it determines the efficient and minimal use of energy resources and oil, both of which depend on the level of technological advancement. Furthermore, enhancing the involvement of international organizations in energy cooperation is crucial for managing effective energy distribution.