Since 2005, ECORYS has involved itself actively in looking at impact assessment of government policies in general and the quantitative aspects of these assessments in particular. In the fields of Trade Policy modelling, Regulatory Impact Assessments and Energy & Environmental Impact Assessments, ECORYS has carried out work and built expertise and competence among its consultants and inside the organisation overall.

In March 2007 and May 2008 the Trade Policy Modelling Course (TPMC) took place in Rotterdam, organised by the Competence Area Trade & Industry of ECORYS. This course – and the interest for it – showed clearly the great lack of knowledge of how government (EU) impact assessments – especially the quantitative aspects of these assessments – work and have to be carried out. Also information on how to choose from the long list of available quantitative modelling techniques the one or ones that most apply given the aims appears to be a great concern. All agree that an assessment of potential economic, social and environmental effects is very useful for the policy debate, but very few people actually know how to quantify these impacts and what structure, including various assumptions, is imposed to reach this/these quantification goal(s).

Participants of the latest two training courses come from various Directorate Generals of the EU, especially Trade and Enterprise & Industry, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and UNCTAD. Their nationalities covered various from the EU and also some from non-EU countries.

The objective of the quantitative policy modelling course is twofold: First the course will inform policy makers of the different quantitative impact assessment methodologies that exist to evaluate and assess policy proposals, including how they work. Second, the course will link concrete policy proposals to available methodologies and works through which type of methodology would fit best, clearly taking limitations and assumptions into account. An intensive 2½ - day training session with lectures, workshops, roleplays and discussions will reflect and cover the objectives carefully. The trainers team consists of ECORYS and top world experts.

The next Quantitative Impact Assessment Training is expected to take place in Autumn 2009. Potential applicants should come from public sector institutions dealing policy making whereby there is a need to look at ex-ante assessment of potential economic, social and/or environmental impacts of such policy making. More information can be found at this website in due course.

For more information, please contact:

Koen Berden
T +31 (0)10 453 88 16
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