microsimulation conference

Call for Papers and Expressions of Interest
Closed by 29 January 2007

We invite you to submit a short abstract (up to 200 words) for a paper to be given at the above conference. The primary focus of the conference is the analytical tool of microsimulation models and their applications. Areas to be potentially covered by the conference include:

Static microsimulation models, including modelling of all kinds of specific taxes and transfers, and fiscal and social policy modelling (in particular modelling of child care expenses and child tax benefits)
Dynamic microsimulation models
Spatial microsimulation models
Behavioural microsimulation models
Health and long term care microsimulation models;
Other types of microsimulation models (e.g. housing) and
Reviews of the history/development of microsimulation models.

Papers can be applied (e.g. reporting results of model simulations), theoretical (e.g. reporting possible advances in techniques and methodologies) and descriptive (e.g. describing new models or the development of particular modules or applications in existing models).

22 August: Technical Workshops

The last day is expected to be devoted to more technical discussions and comparisons of the various microsimulation models used now in policy formulation. We plan to concentrate on practical aspects of modelling in a number of workshops in the following provisional streams:

dynamic microsimulation models
static microsimulation models
spatial microsimulation models
health microsimulation models and
other microsimulation models

Those wanting to actively participate in the technical workshops will be asked in early 2007 to prepare a short description of their model (we will supply the template), its key components, what it has been used for, and references to further publications or website addresses for those wishing more detail on the model or its applications. Such participants will be expected to give a 10 minute overview of the key features of their model at the beginning of the relevant technical session. In their emails indicating likely participation in this technical day, potential participants are also asked to identify three key issues that they would particularly like to see discussed in their stream of the technical modelling day (e.g. calibration, labour force modelling, human resource modelling, validation, wealth).

Social activities: There will be a conference dinner on Tuesday 21 August.

For those wishing to present papers at the first two days of the conference, please submit a title and a short one paragraph abstract and for those wishing to participate in the technical workshops please submit a short (one paragraph) description of the model to ima2007@euro.centre.org by 10 January 2007. For both the conference and the workshops we expect to advise which papers and models have been selected by, approximately, 31 January 2007.

Those who would potentially like to attend the conference but do not want to give a paper are asked to also email ima2007@euro.centre.org to notify us of their interest. We will then keep you informed with any updates. A limited number of places are available at the conference, so early registration of interest is advisable. All those who wish to attend the conference should register at http://www.euro.centre.org/ima2007/register.

The conference secretariat will provide guidance on accommodation options in Vienna at a later stage. There will be a conference attendance fee, which we hope will be around 395 Euro (depending upon sponsorship arrangements).

We expect to publish selected papers after the conference, both in a special conference edition of the International Journal of Microsimulation and in an edited book collection.