Dr Nicolas Hérault

Research Fellow
Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research
Tel. +61 3 8344 2188
Fax. +61 3 8344 2111
Email. nherault@unimelb.edu.au

Nicolas joined the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research in March 2007 as a Research Fellow within the Labour Economics and Social Policy Research area. He holds a PhD and a Master’s degree in economics from the University of Bordeaux IV (France). For his PhD thesis, Nicolas built a microsimulation model and linked it to a computable general equilibrium model in order to assess the effects of trade liberalisation on poverty and income inequality in South Africa. Four research papers arising from his thesis have been published in refereed journals (South African Journal of Economics, The Economic Record, Economie Appliquée and Economie et Prévision). In addition, he has recently undertaken commissioned research for the World Bank, the Australian Labor Party and the Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

Nicolas is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Melbourne Institute Tax and Transfer Simulator (MITTS). Nicolas’ research interests include labour economics, the effects of changes to the tax and transfer system on labour supply, trade liberalisation, microsimulation modelling and micro-macro modelling.

Download Curriculum Vitae here.

Current Research Projects

The employment outcomes of youth entering the labour market (with Weiping Kostenko, Gary Marks and Rezida Zakirova)

Intergenerational correlation of labour market outcomes (with Guyonne Kalb)

Labour supply and social welfare (with John Creedy and Guyonne Kalb)

Linking MITTS (Melbourne Institute Tax and Transfer Simulator) and MIDGE (Macro’s Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium model)

Effects on Labour Supply, Savings and Welfare of the July 2007 Policy Changes to Superannuation and the Age Pension (with John Creedy, Guyonne Kalb, Lixin Cai and Justin van de Ven)

Dynamics of household joblessness in Australia (with Guyonne Kalb and Rezida Zakirova)

Recent working papers

Hérault, N. and Thurlow, J. (2009). Agricultural distortions, poverty and inequality in South Africa, Agricultural Distortions Working Paper 104, World Bank, Washington D.C. (Pdf file).

Creedy, J. and Hérault, N. (2009), Optimal Marginal Income Tax Reforms: A Microsimulation Analysis, WP No. 23/09, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne (Pdf file).

Hérault, N. and Kalb, G. (2009). Intergenerational Correlation of Labour Market Outcomes, WP No. 14/09, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne (Pdf file).

Buddelmeyer, H., Hérault, N., Kalb, G. and van Zijll de Jong, M., (2009), Linking a Dynamic CGE Model and a Microsimulation Model: Climate Change Mitigation Policies and Income Distribution in Australia, WP No. 3/09, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne (Pdf file).

Hérault, N. (2009), Sequential Linking of Computable General Equilibrium and Microsimulation Models, WP No. 2/09, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne (Pdf file).

Creedy, J., Hérault, N. and Kalb G., (2008), Abolishing the Tax-Free Threshold in Australia: Simulating Alternative Reforms, WP No. 15/08, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne (Pdf file).

Creedy, J., Hérault, N. and Kalb G., (2008), Tax Policy Design and The Role of a Tax-Free Threshold, WP No. 13/08, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne (Pdf file).

Creedy, J., Hérault, N. and Kalb G., (2007), Comparing Welfare Change Measures with Income Change Measures in Behavioural Policy Simulations. Melbourne Institute Working Paper, WP No. 21/07, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne (Pdf file).

Publications

Peer reviewed journals

Creedy, J., Hérault, N. and Kalb, G., Abolishing the Tax-Free Threshold in Australia: Simulating Alternative Reforms, forthcoming in Fiscal Studies.

Hérault, N., (2009), Les apports de la micro-simulation aux modèles d’équilibre général : application au cas de l’Afrique du Sud, Economie et Prévision, No. 187, pp. 123-135 .

Hérault, N., (2008), L’impact de la libéralisation commerciale sur la pauvreté et les inégalités dans les provinces sud-africaines, Economie Appliquée, No. 3, pp. 132-156, Sep. 2008.

Hérault, N., (2007), Trade Liberalisation, Poverty and Inequality in South Africa: A CGE-Microsimulation analysis, The Economic Record, Vol. 83, Issue 262, pp. 317-328, Sep. 2007.

Hérault, N., (2006), Building and Linking a Microsimulation Model to a CGE Model for South Africa, South African Journal of Economics, Vol. 74:1, pp. 34-58, March 2006.

Book chapters

Hérault, N. and Thurlow, J. (2010). “Agricultural distortions, poverty and inequality in South Africa” forthcoming in Anderson, K., Cockburn, J. and Martin, W. (eds), Agricultural Price Distortions, Inequality and Poverty, World Bank, Washington D.C.

Hérault, N., (2009), Labour Supply Modelling in Sequential Computable General Equilibrium-Microsimulation Models, pp. 3-11 forthcoming in R.O. Bailly (ed), Emerging Topics in Macroeconomics, Nova Science Publishers, New York.

Recent presentations

11-12th November 2009, Social Policy Research Services 2009 Workshop, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Canberra, Australia:
“The education and employment outcomes of youth in school-to-work transition”

10th November 2009, LSAY Policy Forum entitled “Young people: Finding their way in a new era”, Melbourne, Australia:
“The education and employment outcomes of youth in school-to-work transition”

2nd October, September 2008, Seminar at the GREThA - Research Unit in theoretical and applied economics, University Montesquieu – Bordeaux IV, France:
“Intergenerational Correlation of Labour Market Outcomes”

1st October 2009, Invited Presentation at the Toulouse School of Economics, France:
“The Impact of Agricultural Price Distortions on Inequality and Poverty in South Africa”

24th September 2009, XXIV AIEL Conference of Labour Economics, Sassari, Italy:
“Intergenerational Correlation of Labour Market Outcomes”

17th September 2009, Seminar at the LARE-efi, University Montesquieu – Bordeaux IV, France:
“Tax Policy Design and the Role of a Tax-Free Threshold”

10th June 2009, Paper presented at the 2 nd General Conference of the International Microsimulation Association , Ottawa, Canada: “The Impact of Agricultural Price Distortions on Inequality and Poverty in South Africa”

9th June 2009, Paper presented at the 2 nd General Conference of the International Microsimulation Association , Ottawa, Canada: “Welfare Change Measures in Behavioural Microsimulation Modelling Accounting for the Random Utility Component”

4th June 2009, Invited Presentation at CIRPÉE (Centre interuniversitaire sur le risque, les politiques économiques et l'emploi), Laval University, Québec, Canada: “Sequential Linking of Computable General Equilibrium and Microsimulation Models”

16th December 2008, Invited Presentation at the Institute for Employment Research workshop entitled “Linking Microsimulation and Macro Models”, Nuremberg, Germany: “The Impact of Agricultural Price Distortions on Inequality and Poverty in South Africa”

15th December 2008, Invited Presentation at the Institute for Employment Research workshop entitled “Linking Microsimulation and Macro Models”, Nuremberg, Germany: “Disaggregation of CGE results into household level results through micro-macro linkage: Analysing climate change mitigation policies from 2005 to 2030”