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TOWARDS A MULTI-PURPOSE FRAMEWORK FOR TAX-BENEFIT MICROSIMULATION.

Paper:ewp-comp/0302002
From:    
Date: Fri, 7 Feb 2003 13:47:59 -0600

Title: TOWARDS A MULTI-PURPOSE FRAMEWORK FOR TAX-BENEFIT MICROSIMULATION.
Author: Herwig Immervoll (University of Cambridge; European Centre for Social Welfare Policy & Research - Vienna) and Cathal O'Donoghue (University of Cambridge; National University of Ireland - Galway)
Contact:
Comments: Type of Document - ; figures: included. EUROMOD web-site: http://www.econ.cam.ac.uk/dae/mu/emod.htm
Keywords: Microsimulation; Tax-Benefit Model; European Union
JEL: C81 C88
EWPA-references:
Report-no: HI-03-000009

Abstract:

This paper introduces a generalised model building platform (MMEANS) for implementing and using tax-benefit microsimulation models. It is designed to aid in the construction of single- and multi-country tax- benefit models by providing all essential components and a system by which these can be parameterised and combined into a full model. We explain the conceptual and computational issues arising in the design and development of MMEANS. One application of the software has been to construct EUROMOD, a 15 country European tax-benefit model (Immervoll et al., 1999; Sutherland, 2001). However, we argue that, apart from its direct usefulness for this model, MMEANS can be used as a general software tool for microsimulation model building.

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