MicroZAMOD (SOUTHMOD)

MicroZAMOD, the tax-benefit microsimulation model for Zambia, is a highly versatile yet easy to use tool for policymakers and researchers alike. It allows the user to analyse and compare the effects of different benefit policy scenarios on poverty, inequality, and government revenues. The model applies user-defined tax and benefit policy rules to micro-data on individuals and households and calculates the effects of these rules on household income.

History:

MicroZAMOD has been developed in cooperation with the Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR), and Southern African Social Policy Research Insights (SASPRI). The latest available version of MicroZAMOD is based on the Living Conditions Monitoring Survey (LCMS) 2010 and 2015, allowing for representative results on the national and sub-national level. Policies are simulated for the years 2010 and 2015-22. The International Labour Organization (ILO) has collaborated with the MicroZAMOD initiative and supported the training events during 2017-19.

Current team members:

ZIPAR, SASPRI

Status:

Maintained

Content accessibility:

• Freely available for download
Notes: Apply for access through the UNU-WIDER website: https://www.wider.unu.edu/about/accessing-southmod-models

Data accessibility:

• Available upon request
Notes: Apply for access through the UNU-WIDER website: https://www.wider.unu.edu/about/accessing-southmod-models

Input data sources:

• Living Conditions Monitoring Survey (LCMS)

Model outputs:

• ZM Country report
• User manual
• The distributional impact of tax and benefit systems in six African countries
• Feasability study
• Learning from the ʻbestʼ - The impact of tax-benefit systems in Africa
• Income Distribution and the Potential of Redistributive Systems in Africa: A Decomposition Approach
• The effect of fiscal drag on income distribution and work incentives: A microsimulation analysis on selected African countries
• Towards greater poverty reduction in Zambia: Simulating potential Cash Plus reforms using MicroZAMOD
• The mitigating role of tax and benefit rescue packages for poverty and inequality in Africa amid the COVID-19 pandemic
• Exploring the quality of income data in two African household surveys for the purpose of tax-benefit microsimulation modelling

Model documentation:

• https://www.wider.unu.edu/about/microzamod-%E2%80%93-simulating-tax-and-benefit-policies-development-zambia

Project page