Up-to-date, hands-on introduction to computable general equilibrium models, also serving as a desk reference for experienced CGE modelers.

This book provides a practical, how-to guide to CGE models suitable for use at the undergraduate college level.

Top scholars synthesize and analyze scholarship on this widely used tool of policy analysis in 27 articles, setting forth its accomplishments, difficulties, and means of implementation. Though CGE modeling does not play a prominent role in top U.S. graduate schools, it is employed universally in the development of economic policy. This collection is particularly important because it presents a history of modeling applications and examines competing points of view. - Presents coherent summaries of CGE theories that inform major model types - Covers the construction of CGE databases, model solving, and computer-assisted interpretation of results - Shows how CGE modeling has made a contribution to economic policy

Many books have been written on computable general equilibrium (CGE) modeling. However, there are certain important areas for economic policy that have been largely overlooked. This intermediate/advanced text presents the topic as a methodology for the analysis of macro and fiscal policies in modern economies while introducing levels of disaggregation that are beyond the scope of standard macro models. The book begins by presenting the historical and intuitive background of general equilibrium analysis. Moving on, computer software is introduced to derive numerical solutions for economic models. The authors provide examples of code, bringing in data sources that have become the foundations of CGE applications. The methodology presented here, which differs from other CGE books, includes financial assets, government budget deficits, and debt financing of private investment. These topics are analyzed in the context of dynamic optimization, generating endogenous variables such as inflation, interest, and growth rates. The book also devotes significant attention to the applications of CGE models to developing economies. This textbook comes with a range of downloadable supplements and will be a valuable resource for students taking a CGE course as part of a program in advanced microeconomics, macroeconomics, development economics, or international trade economics.

This book covers some important topics in the construction of computable general equilibrium (CGE) models and examines use of these models for the analysis of economic policies, their properties, and their implications. Readers will find explanation and discussion of the theoretical structure and practical application of several model typologies, including dynamic, stochastic, micro-macro, and simulation models, as well as different closure rules and policy experiments. The presentation of applications to various country and problem-specific case studies serves to provide an informed and clearly articulated summary of the state of the art and the most important methodological advancements in the field of policy modeling within the framework of general equilibrium analysis. The book is an outcome of a recent workshop of the Italian Development Economists Association attended by a group of leading practitioners involved in the generation of CGE models and research on modeling the economy and policy making. It will be of interest to researchers, professional economists, graduate students, and knowledgeable policy makers.

Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) modelling is a relatively new field in economics, however, it is rapidly becoming one of the most useful tools for policy evaluation. This book applies CGE modelling to some of the most urgent international economic policy problems, including the Kyoto Protocol, pension reform, and income taxation, and also analyses the methodological issues that arise.