Teaching Models

Over the years, CoPS has created several models specifically for teaching. These are described below. You are welcome to use or adapt them for your own purposes. All of the models below (except for Mini-USAGE) are included in the free CRunGEM package. Documentation may be found in the model-specific CRunGEM sub-folder.

MINIMAL

MINIMAL is a simple model, designed mainly for teaching purposes. There is a downloadable course built around it. A version is included in the CRunGEM package.

Miniature ORANI (also called MO or Skeletal ORANI)

MO is described in chapter 2 of the 1982 "Green Book", ORANI: A Multisectoral Model of the Australian Economy by Peter B. Dixon, B.R. Parmenter, John Sutton and D.P. Vincent [download from here]. An earlier version may be found here. You can also download WinORANI, an introductory-level teaching kit based around MO. WinOrani is a non-GEMPACK Windows program which solves MO. As well, a GEMPACK-based version of MO is included in the CRunGEM package.

Stylized Johansen (also called SJ)

SJ is described in chapter 3 of the 1992 "Black Book", Notes and Problems in Applied General Equilibrium Economics by P.B. Dixon, B.R. Parmenter, Alan A. Powell and Peter J. Wilcoxen, which you can purchase. It is used as an example in Chapter 4 of the GEMPACK manual. A short description is available here. A version of SJ is included in the CRunGEM package.

ORANI-G

ORANI-G is a generic single-country model which is used for teaching annual courses and has been adapted for many countries outside Australia. A version of ORANI-G is included in the CRunGEM package.

Mini-USAGE

Mini-USAGE is a miniature version of USAGE, a 500-industry recursive-dynamic CGE model of the US economy developed at the Centre of Policy Studies in collaboration with the US International Trade Commission. The aim of Mini-USAGE is to reduce barriers to entry into the world of recursive-dynamic general equilibrium modelling. We hope to give modellers a tool for understanding the theory, construction and computing of such models and for interpreting results. For this purpose, Mini-USAGE is unencumbered by detail.