The Data Tool

The MyGTAP framework consists of a data tool and a model. The data tool is a series of GEMPACK programs run in sequence from a DOS prompt.

The primary purpose of the data tool is to allow the user to incorporate their own country data into the GTAP Database. The user can include multiple households, additional factors of production, and/or transfer payments between the government and households, or between households. In order to incorporate multiple households, the user must specify the household splits in terms of consumption of goods and services, and income sources. The GTAP factor endowments can also be re-specified to include new splits based on available data for the country of interest. Finally, users may also specify transfers of income between households and government. Splitting of households or factors does not have to be carried out on non-subject countries/regions, only the country of interest.

Auxiliary income and expenditure flows, such as foreign income, international aid, and remittance data are also added to the standard GTAP data flows by default in the data program. The MyGTAP data program will therefore create a new GTAP database with multiple households, new factor endowments, and additional income flows for foreign income, aid and remittances. The new database is output in both the GTAP Database format and a social accounting matrix (SAM).

Users can then transfer this data into their own models and software, or they can employ the MyGTAP model.

The MyGTAP data tool is programmed in GEMPACK and distributed as self-executing (exe) files and source Tablo code.  A GEMPACK license is required to process large aggregations of the GTAP model. A GTAP database license is also required to create a GTAP aggregation in FlexAgg or GTAPAgg.