Corporate Facts

The Institute of Economic Structures Research (GWS mbH) was founded in 1996 by Prof. Dr. Bernd Meyer . The analysis of changes of industry structures is the main focus of this private research institute. It has developed a unique system of macroeconomic forecasting models that distinguish different industries and regions. The models are estimated econometrically and based on official statistics. The GWS mbH strives to deliver innovation, action orientation, interdisciplinarity and networking. An international perspective on research is of growing importance.

The GWS mbH is member in the international INFORUM group. With the help of INFORUM at the University of Maryland the partners in this group have developed an international system of 13 detailed country models that are linked through trade flows and prices for each industry. The linked system of models currently is comprised of models for the following 13 countries: Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Spain, Austria, China and the U.S. The models, which are all constructed with a consistent methodology, are linked through the Bilateral Trade Model (BTM), so that economic in behaviour in one country consistently affects the economies of other countries at the industry level. For example, the production of autos in Japan ultimately affects the demand for iron ore in Canada, through the requirements of Japanese steel supplies to the Japanese auto industry.  The Inforum group has regularly once a year a conference for discussing the latest work of the members of the international INFORUM family.

Products

For the German economy GWS mbH has constructed the multisectoral macroeconometric forecasting models INFORGE and PANTA RHEI, the latter enables the analysis of environmental questions in a macroeconomic context. The forecasting model INFORGE is the German contribution to the linked system of international macro/interindustry models. These macroeconomic forecasting models can be supplemented by the tools LAENDER, REGIO or SPARTEN to get a more detailed impression of the expected regional or sector specific development.

Besides that GWS has developed global the energy-economy-environment model GINFORS, covering 53 countries / regions. A graphical user interface allows easy access to data and models. The GINFORS model illustrates that modeling at an industrial and professional level is possible and can be easily transferred between generations.

The 53 countries of the econometric multi-sector model GINFORS include the most important OECD countries, APEC countries, OPEC countries, Russia and India. The structure of the model can be depicted by a wheel, in which the bilateral trade model is the axis. The spokes are the country models, which always consist of a macro model and for most OECD and APEC countries of an input-output model and an energy model. The tyre represents the linkage of the countries via global equality of savings and investments.

Customers

The analysis and forecasting tools of GWS are used by private enterprises as well as public authorities. GWS is co-operating with different national and international research institutes (e.g. German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin [DIW], Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, Economic Research International [E.R.I] in Brussels, Keio University in Tokio) and working for national and international ministries, institutions and companies (e. g. German Ministry of Finance, German Ministry of Education and Research, Federal Statistical Office).

International News

• Upcoming Event: 15/16 July 2009, London, UK. Environmental Tax Reform (ETR) in Europe: The Key to a Resource-Efficient, Low-Carbon Competitive Economy Final conference of the Anglo-German Foundation’s petrE Project, held in conjunction with the Green Fiscal commission. For more information see http://www.petre.org.uk/
  

• In the field of Environmental Statistics Eurostat has commissioned GWS (together with with Oekoinstitut, Darmstadt) to analyse the feasibility regarding "The Use of Prodcom for the Data Centres". It is intended to support the Environmental Data Centre on Ressources and the Environmental Data Centre on Products.
• Together with ICON Public Sector (Cologne) the GWS is responsible for the assessment of the state of the art concerning the implementation of TSA in the Member States of the EU. The project is funded by Eurostat. Besides the comparative assessment of the methodologies applied a collection best practices in compiling TSAs have to be developed. Whereas ICON Public is in charge for the administrative project management, Gerd Ahlert from GWS mbH is responsible for the content management and analysis design of this EUROSTAT project on Tourism Satellite Accounts.
• GWS on the midterm event of the Anglo-German Foundation research program "Creating Sustainable Growth in Europe" (Berlin, November 2007)
• Economic criteria for assessing alternative negotiation results of a post-2012 climate regime, GWS has analyzed different Post-Kyoto regimes from January 2006 to October 2007 with the international model GINFORS for the German Ministry of Economy and Technology
  

• During the 1^st ASEM Seminar on Tourism, which took place in Lisbon, 8-10 May 2006, Gerd Ahlert presented results with regard to the economic impact of the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006^TM under the title "FIFA World Cup Germany 2006^TM: Perspectives for Tourism". Download!
  
• On April 14-15, the 3. MOSUS workshop was held in Laxenburg, Austria, to determine the scenarios for the simulations and to discuss the progress of the project (see www.mosus.net).
  For the first time, the GWS presented the global model GINFORS which is the successor of the COMPASS model. Furthermore, the first results of the base simulation were discussed. A preliminary model description can be downloaded here.
• The ASIA-Europe-Foundation (ASEF) invited Gerd Ahlert to the international workshop "Hosting Major International Sports Events: Comparing Asia and Europe". The conference takes place at the University of Edinburg on March, 10-11, 2005. In his presentation "What does Germany expect to gain from hosting the 2006 Football World Cup? Macroeconomic and regional economic effects" he introduces to the impact studies by the GWS with regard to the FIFA^TM World Cup 2006 in Germany. Download!
• The Federal Environmental Agency (UBA) publishes the background paper "Reduction of coal subisdies - the results of model-based analysis". The model-based analysis was carried out by the GWS energy-economy-environment model PANTA RHEI for Germany. UBA-background paper >>
• At the "7th International Forum on Tourism Statistics" (Stockholm, Sweden, 9-11 June 2004), which was organized by OECD, Eurostat and Statistics Sweden, under the title "TSA for Germany: database of the satellite account and perspectives for integration into a sectoral disaggregated macroeconometric model" methodological aspects in preparing and using the German TSA were presented. The Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSA) for Germany have been constructed by the GWS.
• The next meeting of MOSUS project will take place in Osnabrueck, March 8-9 at the conference building of the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt
• Presentation of the model GINFORS. A first forecast with the global econometric model GINFORS" at the 1st KEIO-UNU-JFIR Panel Meeting. Economic Development and Human Security. "How to Improve Governance at the Inter-Governmental, Governmental and Private Sector Levels in Japan and Asia?" (February 13-14, 2004, Tokyo)
• GWS is subcontractor of Plejades GmbH – Independent Experts in the EU, DG Enlargement, Bulgaria Group project: ”ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT OF THE EARLY CLOSURE OF THE VVER 440 UNITS OF THE KOZLODUY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT: ASSESSMENT OF CONSEQUENCES, PREPARATION OF ELEMENTS FOR A STRATEGY TO MITIGATE IDENTIFIED CONSEQUENCES” GWS provides his GINFORS modelling platform and works as an Expert Consultant participating in the Expert Panel and supporting the macro-economical modelling for Bulgaria.
• Analysis of the Export Promotion Program in Pakistan finished in 2003: GWS has evaluated the Trade, Export, Promotions & Industry Program in the years 1996 to 2002 in Pakistan for the Asian Development Bank ADB in Manila. The trade model of GINFORS and a macroeconomic structural country model for Pakistan have been used.
• At the 2003 Berlin Conference (Berlin, 5-6 December 2003) on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change with the title “Governance for Industrial Transformation” central features of the global GINFORS model were presented: Global Multisector/Mulitcountry 3 - E Modelling From COMPASS to GINFORS.
• At the OECD Environment and Modeling Workshop in Ottawa (9-10 October 2003) a presentation of "Modeling Sustainable Development for Europe in a Global Framework" was given.
• Presentation of the German INFORGE-model at the 11th INFORUM World Conference in Suzdal: Forecasting the Interindustry Development of the German Economy: The Model INFORGE.
• The project MOSUS is endorsed by the Industrial Transformation Project of the International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP-IT). Project number: E/2003/01.
  IHDP is an international, interdisciplinary, non-governmental science programme dedicated to promoting and co-ordinating research. Its aims are to describe, analyse and understand the human dimensions of global environmental change. IHDP's programme is designed around its three main objectives of research, capacity building and networking.
• The GWS software Look! is presented a the Cebit - the world’s largest IT and telecommunications fair - in Hannover, Germany in March 2003. Look! uses grafical features of IMAGINE and makes data banks available on organizers (PDA, MDA).
• The Regional Ministry of Economy and Finance of Andalusia, Spain will use the Grafical User Interface IMAGINE. A new model developped by our Spanish INFORUM partner will be used with a translated version of the German GWS IMAGINE.
• The project MOSUS, modelling opportunities and limits for restruturing Europe towards sustainability, has started. The project is funded by the 5th framework programme (sub-programme energy, environment and sustainable development) of the European Union for 3 years. The research consortium of 12 partners will be co-ordinated by IIASA.
  The MOSUS project aims to integrate three major themes of European policies within a macroeconomic, multi-sectoral framework representing the interrelation of economic, social and environmental domains. These policy themes are (1)Sustainable development, (2) Competitiveness and social cohesion in the knowledge-based society and (3) Globalisation and international trade.
• 11th INFORUM World Conference, organized by the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Economic Forecasting will take place in Suzdal, Russia from September 8 to September 12, 2003.
• At the "Brititsh Camber of Commerce" in Frankfurt at the Deutsche Börse AG Bernd Meyer presented "A Medium-Term Forecast for the German Economy".
• At the 14th International Input-Output-Conference in Montreal (10.10.2002 - 16.10.2002) Bernd Meyer presented a paper on the improvement of the environmental fiscal reform in Germany.
• Kimio Uno (Keio University in Tokio) visited the GWS mbH to discuss further developments in the Compass-Project. After that he will join the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. There he presents some results of the compass-project and give a brief outline of future perspectives.
• The crucial effects of the german environmental fiscal reform are described in Energy Policy:
  Bach, S. / Kohlhaas, M.  / Meyer, B. / Praetorius, B. / Welsch, H. (2002): The effects of environmental fiscal reform in Germany: a simulation study. In: Energy Policy, Vol. 30, Issue 9, July 2002, pp. 803-811.Summary
• Publication of the global economy-energy-environment model COMPASS at Kluwer Academic Publishers:
  Uno, K. (ed.): Economy-Energy-Environment Simulation: Beyond the Kyoto Protocol. Dordrecht, Boston, London 2002.
• Tenth INFORUM World Conference at  INFORUM in College Park at the University of Maryland (USA), from July 26 to August 2, 2002
• Web-Presentation of the GLODYM-Project 
• Estimation of "The impact of ecological taxation on output, employment and the environment in Japan" with the GLODYM model comissioned by the Wuppertal-Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie GmbH
• Presentation download: The effects of environmental fiscal reform in Germany: a simulation study presented in Brussels. 25. January 2002
  

Address

Gesellschaft fuer Wirtschaftliche Strukturforschung mbH
Heinrichstr. 30
D-49080 Osnabrueck
phone: +49-(541)-40933-0
fax: +49-(541)-40933-110
email: info_@_gws-os_.com

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