Redistribution over the Lifetime in the Irish Tax-Benefit System - An Application of a Prototype Dynamic Microsimulation Model for Ireland

This paper examines the distribution of lifetime income in Ireland. To do this a new prototype dynamic microsimulation model for Ireland is used to generate lifetime income streams. Aggregating over the lifetime we can assess the distribution of lifetime income and the degree of redistribution in the tax-benefit system. In addition to the effect of taxes and benefits, we decompose lifetime income into its components and examine the impact of different life-cycle patterns.

The rise and fall of the Celtic Tiger and the evolution of an urban system: 1996–2011

During the 1990s the Celtic Tiger era began in the Republic of Ireland. This article tracks the response of the Irish Urban System to that remarkable period of growth ended abruptly with the Global Economic Crisis of 2008. Using Small Area Population Statistics from Ireland’s Central Statistics Office for the years 1996, 2002, 2006 and 2011 it was possible to record growth across the towns and cities of Ireland that constituted the Irish Urban System. The location, size, type and rates of change were recorded and mapped with a view towards discovering the extent to which the urban hierarchy and the spatial distribution was being altered, and by what geographical processes. Over 15 years the national population grew by 26% with most of that growth taking place in urban centres. A clear diffusion outwards from the Dublin region is noticeable and the capital’s role in systemic change is explored alongside other factors. The article highlights the changing nature of growth over time and, based on the empirical observations made, identifies a sequence of clear stages in the growth of the urban system. The article concludes with a proposal for a Model of Urban System Evolution under conditions of Rapid Economic Growth based on the distinct phases, or stages, of growth identified in Ireland’s towns and cities from 1996–2011

Employment Transitions in 13 European Countries. Levels, Distributions and Determining Factors of Net Replacement Rates

This paper utilises a multi-country microsimulation tax-benefit model for Europe, EUROMOD, to simulate the distribution of net replacement rates for 13 European countries. We look at different types of labour market transitions by comparing household incomes in the current state with simulated in-work/out-of-work counterfactuals. In particular we compare how the importance of household composition and different income sources varies across countries and for different replacement rate bands. We also show which individual and household characteristics are associated with observed replacement rate levels.net replacement rate, unemployment benefits, work incentives European Union, microsimulation

The Life-cycle Impact of Alternative Higher Education Finance Systems in Ireland

With increasing numbers of young people participating in higher education in Ireland and a heavy reliance of higher education institutions on State funding, the introduction of an alternative finance system for Ireland has been muted over the past number of years. However, no study has been conducted to gauge the potential impact of such measures. In this paper we utilise a dynamic microsimulation model developed for Ireland to simulate the impact of both an income contingent loan system (ICL) and a graduate tax system from a fiscal and redistributional viewpoint and to analyse the repayment length under the former system. Our results suggest that an ICL system could be more equitable, while the graduate tax system could be a better alternative from a fiscal viewpoint. The results also illustrate the importance of the interest rate attached to any future student loan system within Ireland from a fiscal viewpoint

Case Study: Global economic crisis and poverty in Pakistan

In this case study we adopt a macro-micro framework in order to evaluate the impact of the current global crisis on the Pakistan economy. We use a ‘top-down’ approach to combine a static computable general equilibrium model with a microsimulation model. Our results suggest that between 2007 and 2009 the poverty headcount ratio is likely to have increased by almost 80 percent, from 22 to 40 percentage points. However, our results also show that this increase is attributable in part to the fuel and food crisis that preceded the financial crisis. Our results also indicate a differential impact, with wage increases for farm workers and a decrease in wages for skilled labour.CGE; micro-macro; global economic crisis; Pakistan

Management of a capital stock by Strotz's naive planner

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jedc.2007.09.01

The Quiescent Spectrum of the AM CVn star CP Eri

We used the 6.5m MMT to obtain a spectrum of the AM CVn star CP Eri in quiescence. The spectrum is dominated by He I emission lines, which are clearly double peaked with a peak-to-peak separation of ~1900 km/s. The spectrum is similar to that of the longer period AM CVn systems GP Com and CE 315, linking the short and the long period AM CVn systems. In contrast with GP Com and CE 315, the spectrum of CP Eri does not show a central 'spike' in the line profiles, but it does show lines of SiII in emission. The presence of these lines indicates that the material being transferred is of higher metallicity than in GP Com and CE 315, which, combined with the low proper motion of the system, probably excludes a halo origin of the progenitor of CP Eri. We constrain the primary mass to M_1>0.27 M_sun and the orbital inclination to 33 degr < i < 80 degr. The presence of the He I lines in emission opens up the possibility for phase resolved spectroscopic studies which allows a determination of the system parameters and a detailed study of helium accretion disks under highly varying circumstances.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Shaping Earnings Mobility: Policy and Institutional Factors

This paper explores the role of labour market policy and institutional factors in explaining cross-national differences in earnings mobility across Europe in the 1990s using the European Community Household Panel and OECD data on institutional variables. More regulation in both labour and product markets emerge as sources of labour market rigidity, being positively associated with earnings immobility and exacerbating the adverse effects of macro-economic shocks on earnings mobility. Unionization is found to promote earnings mobility, effect, however, counteracted in periods with adverse macroeconomic shocks. Corporatism is found to promote mobility and to counteract the adverse effects of macroeconomic shocks on earnings mobility. The generosity of the unemployment benefit is found to limit the adverse effects of macroeconomic shocks on earnings mobility.Wage Distribution, Inequality, Earnings Mobility, Labour Market Institutions; Labour Market Policies

Simulating Migration In The Pensim2 Dynamic Microsimulation Model

Modelling migration is fundamentally important to maintaining the appropriate population structure in a dynamic microsimulation model. It is particularly important as it is faster changing than other demographic processes such as fertility and mortality and so can impact upon the structure of the population quickly. In this paper we review methods that have been used by other models and describe the choices and methods used in the Pensim2 dynamic microsimulation model. In particular we model immigration flows, emigration flows and the overseas population. We divide our method into modelling how many migrate using external macro data and who emigrates, based upon micro processes.Migration, Dynamic Microsimulation