Professor Robert Wright, Department of Economics, organised an invited session at the recent meetings of the British Society of Population Studies held at the University of York from September 7-9. The session's topic was: Demographic Applications of Computer General Equilibrium (CGE) Modelling.
Given the audience was from a variety of academic disciplines, Professor Wright led off the session with non-technical discussion of basic features of CGE modelling. This was followed by presentations concerned with population ageing and pension reform in the Ukraine, demographic change and household energy use, and demographic change and north-south trade patterns.
Although CGE models are not widely used in demographic research, the session illustrated their not inconsiderable potential. Professor Wright is also organising a follow-on session on the same topic at next year's European Society for Population Economics annual conference in Bern, Switzerland.