A new system of Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) in Austria was introduced via the federal budget law 2013. In the framework of the decree RIA-Social, enacted by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, the outcomes for the income situation of the Europe 2020 social target group (persons at risk of poverty, materially deprived persons, persons in households with no or low work intensity) should be estimated. The estimation is carried out via the user-friendly microsimulation model SORESI. Responsible civil servants are able to manipulate monetary social benefits on a website and the model quickly calculates the outcomes on the income situation of the Europe 2020 social target group. At the same time the website can be used by the general public for other simulations (incl. social insurance contributions and income tax) and inquiries (e.g. outcomes on the income distribution, outcomes for certain socio-economic groups, budgetary consequences). This Policy Brief describes the most important features of the SORESI model and presents a policy reform example related to the increase of the family allowance.
