Hands-on training in Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) Modelling I

Syllabus approved:

2015-05-22

Subjects:

Economics

Marking scale:

Pass / Fail

The requirements for attaining different grades are described in the course assessment criteria which are contained in a supplement to the course syllabus. Current information on assessment criteria shall be made available at the start of the course.

Prerequisites: 

The course is specifically aimed at PhD students within the field of economics. Knowledge in microeconomics and mathematics is assumed. Knowledge of modelling languages is not required. Good knowledge in English is vital to be able to follow the course.

Learning objectives: 

The course will introduce all the basic tools for constructing and implementing large-scale applied general equilibrium models for policy analysis. By the end of the course the participants will have acquired detailed knowledge of and extensive hands-on experience in:

 - the structure of open economy general equilibrium models,

 - formulating a CGE model as a mixed complementarity problem (MCP),

 - the concept of the social accounting matrix (SAM),

 - calibrating a CGE model,

 - formulating scenarios and running policy simulations,

 - linking GAMS with other tools for reading data and reporting results

Content 

The course uses a practical and very intensive approach to model building. The participants will build computable general equilibrium models step-by-step with guidance from the instructors: including both simple and complex structures. The participants will acquire extensive practical hands-on experience in building a complex CGE model under the MCP format. This will allow them to easily implement the first version of their own model.

Implementation

Scheduled activities                           Hours   Compulsory

-      Lectures approx.                          15                  Yes

-      Hands-on session approx.           15                  Yes

-      Independent work                         34                 

    Total   approx.                                  64

Requirements for examination:

Attended lectures and hands-on sessions as well as pass a short exam at the end of the course.

Other information

The Department reserves the right to cancel the course if there are not more than 5 students who have applied for the course. There is no tuition fee. The student is responsible for any housing and travel costs.

Location

Umeå