2016-2 GTAP 101 Course: “Introduction to Computable General Equilibrium Modeling”

September 12 – October 28, 2016 

The 2016-2 GTAP 101 Course is being organized by the Center for Global Trade Analysis and will be delivered fully online, led by Dr. Mary Burfisher.

What GTAP 101 "Graduates" Are Saying...

• "I attended several CGE courses before and this GTAP 101 course is one of the best courses available. Mary has done a good job. This course is well organized and extremely informative. I would like to recommend anyone who is interested in CGE modelling to take this course."
• Thank you for opening a new world of modelling."
• "The text book is very clear, detailed and the teacher excellent!"
• "It has been very nice experience to learn GTAP models with such an interactive way. I appreciate many advises for my questions. Thank you very much."
• "I really enjoyed the course and the class interactions. Mary and the entire GTAP 101 team were very helpful and professional."

Objective

The objective of the GTAP 101 course is to engage participants in an active, team-based process of learning about the GTAP computable general equilibrium (CGE) model and its use in applied economic policy analysis. The curriculum emphasizes an intuitive and graphical treatment of economic theory in the CGE model, and provides structured experiences in manipulating and running the standard GTAP Model within the RunGTAP software environment. RunGTAP is an intuitive, menu-driven CGE model that minimizes technological hurdles and allows students to quickly begin to focus on their economic thinking and experimentation. The curriculum is geared to advanced undergraduates, graduates and professionals. At the end of the course, participants will be entry-level modelers and more informed consumers of CGE-based analyses. The course also serves as an entry point for developing the technical skills required for the GTAP Short Course.

During the online course, participants will:

• Review core economic theories from macro, micro, trade and public finance and observe how they are operationalized in an applied general equilibrium model;
•  Learn to recognize, control and interpret the theoretically consistent behavior of consumers and producers in the model;
• Observe the aggregated, macroeconomic impacts of microeconomic behaviors;
• Define model experiments that represent real-world issues and problems; and
• Learn to interpret general equilibrium model results by calling on and integrating their knowledge of multiple fields of economic study.
  

Structure

The course is fully delivered online, and is supported by the textbook, Introduction to Computable General Equilibrium Models (Burfisher, 2011), which will be provided to all participants. Additional learning resources include audio lectures, guided video simulations, and assessments. Much of the learning will take place through active discussions among the participants and instructor, which are carried out as asynchronous, threaded conversations on the classroom bulletin board. Topics covered in this course include: Database, Demand, Supply, Factor Markets, Trade and Taxes. The course culminates in a group research project which provides participants with a hands-on opportunity to carry out a model experiment and analyze its economy-wide effects.

Application

Individuals interested in taking this course must apply on the GTAP website April 1-June 26, 2016. Applications will be reviewed after the deadline and those individuals accepted will receive an email detailing how to register and submit payment in August. Please note that application does not guarantee acceptance.

Cost

The registration fees for this course are detailed below and include the course textbook as well as instruction during the online course.

• $1,400 (Standard Rate: Developed Country Professionals)
• $600 (Discounted Rate: All Current Students and Developing Country Professionals)
• $100 (Scholarship Rate: A limited number of scholarships are available to applicants residing in a developing country.)

For further information or to apply, please visit the course homepage on the GTAP website at: http://www.gtap.agecon.purdue.edu/events/GTAP101/2016-2/.