THE IMPACT OF COMPARABLE POLICIES IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES - MICROSIMULATION APPROACHES

Simulation of the effects of comparable social and fiscal policies in countries within Europe is of interest from a number of perspectives. One approach involves the harmonisation of the capabilities and assump tions of existing national models in order to produce consistent resul ts for a number of countries. We explore the prospects and limitations of this method, making use of a case study of the impact of Basic Inc ome schemes in the UK and Ireland. An alternative approach is to build an integrated Europe-wide model, designed specifically to maximise co mparability. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.