Modelling the Dynamic Effects of Transfer Policy : The LINDA Policy Analysis Tool

This paper describes a structural dynamic micro-simulation model that generates individual-specific data over a range of demographic and economic characteristics at annual intervals over the life-course. The model is specifically designed to analyze the distributional implications of policy alternatives in terms of their bearing on income and consumption measured over alternative time periods, from one year up to the entire life-course. This focus on economic characteristics measured over appreciable periods of life motivates endogenous simulation of savings and labor supply decisions, taking explicit account of uncertainty regarding the evolving decision environment. Reflecting the demands of policy makers, and in contrast to the majority of the associated literature, the model described here is designed to project from data observed for a population cross-section