On 20 May 2025, the Economic Analysis and Policy Division (EAPD) of UN DESA hosted a Development Policy Seminar to highlight recent policy simulation work using the OG-Core model. The session, titled “Simulations for Analysis and Policy,” was chaired by EAPD Director Shantanu Mukherjee and featured Richard W. Evans, co-creator of the OG-Core model, alongside an introductory presentation by Marcelo LaFleur (EAPD/DRB).
The seminar showcased how national counterparts in Indonesia, the Philippines, and South Africa are applying the OG-Core model to assess long-term economic impacts of major reforms. The model is being taught and applied through the UN DESA PDF project, which supports countries in designing sustainable recovery strategies in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlighted policy simulations included:
- Indonesia: Assessments of public investment strategies, sovereign wealth fund sustainability, and reforms in education, taxation, and pensions;
- Philippines: Evaluations of infrastructure scaling, digitalization, disaster response, and tax and pension policy changes;
- South Africa: Analyses of VAT and spending reforms, productivity shocks, and exposure to capital flow volatility.
The seminar underscored the value of open-source, transparent tools like OG-Core in strengthening evidence-based policymaking. The event concluded with an open Q&A, where Dr. Evans fielded questions on further model applications and integration into UN advisory work.
The presentation used at the seminar can be found here.
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