From Data to Decisions: Tools for Macro-Structural Analysis
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Bibliographic details
- Session: PT 26.08
- Location: Asuncion, Paraguay
- Dates: September 21-25, 2026 (1 week)
- Delivery method: In-person Training
- Primary language: English
- Interpretation language: Spanish
Invitation and Logistics
- Session No.: PT 26.08
- Location: Asuncion, Paraguay
- Date: September 21-25, 2026 (1 week)
- Delivery Method: In-person Training
- Primary Language: English
- Interpretation Language: Spanish
Target Audience and Qualifications
- Target Audience:
- Technical-level staff in ministries of finance, national statistics agencies, central banks, tax administrations, or other relevant line ministries who use data and analytical tools to inform macroeconomic and fiscal policy.
- Qualifications:
- Advanced degree in economics or finance, or equivalent work experience expected.
- Comfort working with Excel/Stata and engaging in hands-on exercises, small-group discussions, and short presentations.
- Participants are encouraged to bring country-specific policy questions or data challenges for exploration during the workshop.
Course Description — Scope and Analytical Focus
- Purpose:
- Introduce practical, hands-on tools for macro-structural analysis.
- Emphases:
- i) identify policy-relevant constraints to inclusive growth,
- ii) work with macro- and micro-level data,
- iii) use applied toolkits to quantify potential macroeconomic implications and policy tradeoffs.
- Thematic coverage:
- Regional trends/demographic shifts
- Labor market indicators
- Household and survey-based data analysis
- Tax-benefit analysis using the IMF's TaxFit tool
- Integration:
- Introduction to macroeconomic modeling with distributional considerations, demonstrating incorporation of micro-level data and labor-market heterogeneity into macro frameworks to assess effects on labor supply, productivity, fiscal outcomes, growth, and distributional impacts.
Practical Tools, Data, and Exercises
- Hands-on components:
- Exercises using publicly available data sources
- Practical Excel-based tools
- Country examples and dashboards to benchmark constraints and estimate economic costs
- Application of TaxFit to examine distributional and fiscal implications of tax-benefit reforms
- Data skills:
- Accessing and interpreting micro-level data
- Using dashboards to benchmark constraints and estimate economic costs
Learning Outcomes and Course Objectives
- By the end of the five-day in-person workshop, participants will be able to:
- Identify relevant macro- and micro-level data sources and use them to diagnose macro-structural constraints and policy priorities.
- Apply practical tools including TaxFit, financial inclusion diagnostics, dashboards, and introductory modeling approaches to assess policy options and macroeconomic implications.
- Translate data-driven analysis into concise policy messages and present evidence-based recommendations to senior officials.
References