The use of macroeconomic models in economic policy making : The Norwegian experience
Abstract Planning in Norway has a long tradition. The use of models is an integral part of short- and medium-term economic policy administration. A large-scale input-output model, MODIS IV, is used as the short- and medium-term forecasting and planning model. The use of the model secures consistency when analysing the economy. The model is very open in the sense that important interrelations in the economy are left out. The model contains only ‘good’ relations in the Leif Johansen sense of the word. Smaller aggregate and more closed versions of the model are used for analysing policy alternatives. These models contain both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ relations. The use of macroeconomic models is an important aid for proposals regarding economic policy in the Ministry of Finance. Because the whole ministry (with expert help from other ministries) takes an active part in the model work, MODIS IV serves as the centralizing mechanism. It helps to make economists from many ministries go around the same centre, speak the same ‘language’ and organize all relevant information and judgements in a consistent way. Experience shows that ‘numbers discipline’ and force the different arguments on to a higher level of precision.
The analytic foundation of international economic modeling at the OECD
Abstract This article describes the OECD Secretariat's international linkage model, INTERLINK, built to assist various tasks, including the production of baseline international projections, the establishment and maintenance of international consistency of these projections, and the production of alternative projections and policy scenarios. It is thus concerned with the theory of the method of international forecasting and policy analysis, rather than the theory of forecasting itself. The article is divided into sections, which discuss the reasons for international economic modeling at OECD, the main tasks performed by the model, the technical requirements that it needs to satisfy, its present structure, and the experience with it.
The history and development of the dental surveyor--Part III.
The dental surveyor is an indispensable instrument capable of performing a number of prosthodontic procedures. Surprisingly, the technique of surveying casts as part of the treatment planning procedure did not emerge until early in the twentieth century. This article reviews the origins and early use of the dental surveyor. It includes features common to all surveyors as well as the principal uses of these instruments.