Current Developments in Microsimulation and Policy Design

Microsimulation as a modelling tool in social sciences has increased in importance over the last few decades. Once restricted to a handful of universities and government departments, as a scientific field it has achieved a new dynamism during the last decade. As computing power increases and data availability becomes more widespread, microsimulation models can be put to hitherto unprecedented uses. Edited by leading experts in the field, this book illustrates recent advances, methodologies and uses of socioeconomic microsimulation in social sciences around the world. It does so by analysing new grounds covered in microsimulation and exploring new applications in traditional fields. As such, the chapters - grouped into five sections: new methods and methodology; pensions; financial crisis and austerity measures; health; and poverty - present recent, innovative and challenging work in various fields that is not just relevant for those in that field, but that might also inspire scholars from the other disciplines to broaden their minds to new and exciting uses of this established methodology.

Gijs Dekkers is Senior Researcher at the Directorate General of the Federal Planning Bureau, Belgium, Research Associate at the Centre for Sociological Research CESO, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, and Affiliated Senior Researcher at CEPS/INSTEAD in Luxembourg. He is also chief editor of the International Journal of Microsimulation. Dr Marcia Keegan is a Research Fellow and member of the Income & Wealth Team at NATSEM, University of Canberra, Australia. She is Vice President of the International Microsimulation Association and President of Young Economists Australia. Cathal O'Donoghue is the Head of the Rural Economy Research Centre of Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority. He is convenor of the UK Department of Work and Pensions' Expert Group on Economic Demography and President of the International Microsimulation Association.