Training Workshop

Introduction to Dynamic General Equilibrium
Modeling with GAMS/MPSGE

March 20-24, 2006


Workshop instructors and participants are invited to meet for a glass of beer on Sunday evening (March 19) around 7 p.m. We will meet in the pub "Löwenbräu". A map to this pub is described in this PDF-file.

University of Duisburg-Essen

Ruhr Graduate School in Economics (RGSE)


Here is a PDF-file with venue information.

Instructors:

Thomas F. Rutherford

Laurent Cretegny, ECOPLAN (Economic Research and Policy Consultancy)

Volker Clausen (University of Duisburg-Essen, Campus Essen)

Objective

This workshop is intended for economists who want to do dynamic policy analysis with economic data as well as those who are interested in using numerical modeling for simulation analysis of theoretical models. The workshop will provide an introduction to applied (numerical) general equilibrium (GE) models constructed using MPSGE with GAMS. No previous knowledge of GE modeling is assumed. We recommend, however, that minimal preparation for this course would be rigorous first year graduate courses in microeconomics and macroeconomics.

The teaching technique consists of three steps repeated each half day: (1) a brief lecture, (2) examination and discussion of techniques via the use of simple template models, (3) exercises for the participants. Instructors will be available in the meeting room for individual consultation beginning at 8am each day, and the course will then run from 9am to 4pm with a one hour break at lunch.

In addition to educational objectives, the workshop will also provide an opportunity for specialized consultation on individual applications of applied general equilibrium methods. (There will be at least two instructors present at all sessions of the workshop.)

Workshop Topics and Schedule

Monday, March 20:

Tuesday, March 21:

Wednesday, March 22:

Thursday, March 23:

Friday, March 24:

Payment and Registration

The fee for participating in the training workshop is 2,500 Euro and includes lectures, course material and lunches. Participants are required to bring a laptop with a CD reader.

Academic participants from accredited universities or colleges will admitted on a space-available basis for 2,000 Euro. Graduate students from accredited academic institutions are likewise admitted on a space-available basis for 1,000 Euro. Several tuition scholarships (excluding travel and subsistence expenses) have been set aside for talented participants from developing countries. Deadline for the application for a scholarship is December 31, 2005. Preference will be given to applicants who have documented previous experience in general equilibrium modeling with GAMS. To apply for a scholarship, send CV and a research paper via email to Julian Emami Namini. A decision on the allocation of scholarships will be made until January 13, 2006, in order to allow for an early arrangement of flights, visa etc.

To register by phone, fax, or e-mail, contact:

Course Coordinator
Julian Emami Namini
University of Duisburg-Essen, Campus Essen,
Department of Economics
45117 Essen
Germany
Telephone: +49 (0)201-183-3218
Fax: +49 (0)201-183-3974
email:
rgss@vwl.uni-essen.de

The registration deadline is Friday, February 17. The maximum number of participants is restricted to 20.

Slots are guaranteed only upon full payment of fees (by check or credit card) through the GAMS Course Coordinator. Cancellations will be fully refunded if made prior to February 17. For further information on course content, please contact Thomas Rutherford.

Venue and Accomodation

Workshop participants must make their own arrangements for accomodations. The workshop will be held at the Department of Economics at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Campus Essen:

University of Duisburg-Essen, Campus Essen, Universitätsstraße 12, 45117 Essen, Germany.

Information on nearby hotels and links to maps of Essen can be found here. Very close to the university is the following hotel:

Ibis Hotel Essen, Hollestrasse 50, 45127 Essen/Germany, +49/201/24280, http://www.ibishotel.com/ibis/index.html, 59-89€ per night.

A number of rooms has been reserved for course participants until Friday, March 03, 2006. Please quote GAMS/MPSGE when making a reservation.

 

How to Prepare

Workshop participants can do a number of things to prepare for the workshop. Here are some suggestions:

The Instructors

Thomas F. Rutherford is former Professor of Economics at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is the inventor of the MPSGE software and has published a number of papers on general equilibrium applications.

Laurent Cretegny is a PhD economist with ECOPLAN, an Economic Research and Policy Consultancy in Berne, Switzerland. He has recently completed a post-doctoral fellowship with the Centre for Policy Studies at Monash University where he was instrumental in the development of the new GEMPACK/MPSGE modeling language. His research has focused on dynamic model of environmental policy and agricultural land use.

Volker Clausen is Professor of Economics, University of Duisburg-Essen, Campus Essen. His current research interests include general equilibrum modeling with a focus on ageing in open economies. His publications have a focus on international topics and appeared in, among others, the Journal of International Money and Finance, the Journal of Economic Integration and the Review of World Economics.