Data

Data

SimPaths uses three types of data as input:

1. The initial population to be evolved over time. Available here
2. Donor populations used to impute the effects of tax and benefit policy. Available here
3. Estimated parameters governing transition probabilities assumed by the model. Available here

The model has been designed to draw the initial population from data reported by the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS). The UKHLS, (sometimes referred to as Understanding Society), is the successor to the British Household Panel Survey, and is the principal general-purpose panel survey administered in the UK. Multiple initial populations are derived from the UKHLS, corresponding to different years of data reported by the survey (from 2011 to 2017), and used for model validation. The donor populations for tax and benefit imputations are derived from UKMOD and are based on data reported by the Family Resources Survey (FRS). These data include a wide range of benefit unit characteristics in addition to tax and benefit payments. SimPaths imputes tax and benefit payments from these data by matching simulated individuals to individuals described by donor populations. Parameters for the UK have been estimated on UKHLS data, Waves 1 to 8, and FRS (labour supply and social care, various years).