Microsimulations are extremely important for testing various policies: from environment to health, tax-benefits to transport. Our recent conference covered the state-of-the-art in behavioural, spatial and static microsimulation thanks to the contributions of experts from Europe and beyond. At the conference, we discussed various new theories and techniques and got to grips with the first edition of the Handbook of Microsimulation Modelling.
UNU-MERIT’s School of Governance hosted this year’s European Meeting of International Microsimulation Association on 23-24 October. The two-day conference gathered more than 80 researchers and practitioners specialised in a wide range of microsimulation techniques, including static, behavioural and spatial microsimulation, coming from a majority of European countries and beyond.
Held at the Maastricht School of Management, the conference was opened by Prof. Cathal O’Donoghue, President of the International Microsimulation Association and Prof. Bart Verspagen, Director-Dean of UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance.
Prof. Holly Sutherland, Research Professor and Director of EUROMOD, delivered the first keynote speech on “Microsimulation in, of and for the European Union“. The following day, Matteo Richiardi, Associate Member at Nuffield College in Oxford and Affiliate at Collegio Carlo Alberto in Turin, gave the second keynote on “The Estimation-Simulation Disconnect in Dynamic Microsimulation Modelling”, in which he discussed the main issues related to simulating unobserved heterogeneity and using alignment techniques in microsimulation modelling.
The IMA European Meeting took place ahead of the launch of the Handbook of Microsimulation Modelling, edited by Prof. Cathal O’Donoghue, which brings together leading authors in the field of microsimulation. The handbook examines the state-of-the-art in microsimulation across a variety of applications such as modelling of tax-benefit systems, health, transport and environmental issues.
The conference participants were able to get a glimpse of the topics discussed in the book and ask questions to the main authors. The handbook will soon be available for purchase in a number of bookstores, including Emerald Bookstore and Amazon.
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MEDIA CREDITS
UNU-MERIT / S.Brodin, G.Mazeikaite