Curriculum Vitae

Bio Sketch

Martin Spielauer is a social scientist with 20 years of experience in microsimulation modelling and projections. He has developed or contributed to models in a wide range of areas, including demography, education, saving and wealth, pension systems, poverty and health. He has been involved in microsimulation projects around the world, including Austria, Canada, France, Finland, India, Japan, Mauritania, Nepal, New Zealand, Slovenia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. He has also given training in microsimulation modelling and programming on countless occasions around the world. Since 2016, Martin Spielauer has been a senior economist at the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO). He leads the development of the multi-country model microWELT for the comparative analysis of the functioning of welfare states in the context of demographic change. The microWELT model is applied in three European Union H2020 projects as well as in other international projects. As a consultant to the World Bank Development Data Group (2016-2021), Martin Spielauer developed a multi-country portable dynamic microsimulation model for population, education and health applications in developing countries (Dynamis-Pop). From 2018-2023, Martin Spielauer also works as a technical advisor and co-developer of the Slovenian dynamic microsimulation model DypenSi at the Slovenian Institute of Economic Research. From 2007 to 2015 he worked at Statistics Canada, contributing to microsimulation models for population projections and policy analysis. In parallel, he developed extensive international client relationships supporting microsimulation projects of other governments, international organisations, universities and private industry. Martin has published extensively in both peer-reviewed journals and government and international agency publications.

Education

  • Doctor of Economics and Social Sciences, 2003; Statistics and Decision Support, University of Vienna. (Certified Canadian educational equivalency: PhD) Doctoral Thesis: “A dynamic microsimulation model for Austria: general framework and application for educational projections”. [PDF]

  • Post-doctoral training in demographic methods and advanced event history analysis at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (Germany) and the University of Stockholm.

  • Master of Economics and Social Science, 1995; Economics and Information Technology, University of Vienna. Master thesis: “Financial flows under alternative models of housing finance and policies”. [PDF]

  • Languages: German, English, Spanish, some French

Employment History

  • 2016 - present: Senior Economist at the Austrian Institute for Economic Studies (WIFO), Labor Market, Income and Social Security Group. Initiator and technical lead of two dynamic microsimulation developments, namely (1) the multi-country model microWELT for the comparative analysis of the operations of welfare states in the context of demographic change, and (2) the detailed Austrian microDEMS. Both models are extensively used in international and national studies and research collaborations.

  • 2016 - 2022: Consultant of The World Bank Development Data Group. Designer and lead developer of a multi-country portable dynamic microsimulation model for population, education and health applications in developing countries (DYNAMIS-POP). Provision of training and documentation on model development and statistical estimation.

  • 2018-2022 Technical advisor and co-developer of the Slovenian Dynamic Microsimulation Model DypenSi at the Slovenian Institute of Economic Research. (Phase two 2018-2022; previously engaged as external advisor in model design and training of a local team since 2012).

  • 2007 – 2016: Senior Analyst (civil servant) at Statistics Canada, Modelling Division. Design, statistical estimation, implementation and update of modules for the socio-economic microsimulation model LifePaths. Contributions to the Demosim population projection microsimulation model. Development of indirect statistical methods for combining longitudinal and cross-sectional information for modeling educational differences by visible minority and aboriginal status. Developer of the demographic core and education modules of Dysem, a new socio-economic microsimulation platform. Provision of training in microsimulation modeling and programming within the agency and for international clients.

  • 2003 –2006: Research Scientist at the Data Lab of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany. International coordinator of the Contextual Database Group of the UN Gender and Generation Program. Demographic research and microsimulation modelling. Received intensive post-doctoral training in statistical methods incl. advanced event history analysis. Provided training in dynamic microsimulation for demographers.

  • 1999 - 2003: Leader of the Socioeconomic Research Department of the Austrian Institute for Family Studies. Coordinator of the Gender and Generation Survey in Austria. Member of the coordinating team of the European Commission’s Observatory on National Family Policies. Dynamic microsimulation of family demographics and the intergenerational transmission of education.

  • 1998 - 2002: Research Scholar at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analyses (IIASA), Social Security Reform Project and the Population Project. Development of dynamic microsimulation models for population and social security projections.

  • 1995 - 1997: Research Assistant at the Technical University of Vienna, Institute for Econometrics. Housing research (policies, finance, projections), data analysis, econometric modeling, databases, programming of financial designs

  • 1993 – 1994: Freelance database developer and programmer for the International Society for Environmental Protection, Vienna (8/94-9/94); Eva-Marksteiner Ges.m.b.H, Vienna (3/1994-8/1994); Integrierte Informationssysteme Ges.m.b.H., Vienna (12/93-4/94)

Advisory Roles and External Collaborations

  • 2019: Statistics Canada. Co-Author of an Option Option Analysis for a New Dynamic Microsimulation Model of Retirement Income for Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), a study commissioned by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)

  • 2012 - present: Slovenian Institute of Economic Research (IER). Technical advisor of the Slovenian pension Microsimulation model DypenSi. Initially responsible for model design and staff training and co-developer 2012-2015. Since 2018 team-member (cost recovery project for WIFO) for model extensions and updates (2018-2022). Co-author (most recent Kump et.al 2017)

  • 2015 – 2022: Center for Healthcare Economics and Policy, FTI Consulting Washington. Provision of initial staff training in dynamic microsimulation and related statistical methods and modelling. Technical support in microsimulation application development in the field of health and health-care.

  • 2012 - 2018: Compass Institute of the University of Auckland. Various advisory roles in microsimulation model developments and provision of on-site training. The most recent role was international advisor along a book project “Simulating Societal Change” (acknowledged in: Davis & Lay-Yee 2019)

  • 2009 - 2017: University of Barcelona. Technical advisor of the Spanish Pension Microsimulation model DypEs. Initially responsible for model design and staff training and co-developer 2009-2011. Co-Author of academic studies (most recently Patxot et.al. 2018)

  • 2006 - 2017: Vienna Institute for Demography: contributions to research on union stability and fertility in Europe using microsimulation. Co-author (most recent paper Winkler-Dworak et.al. 2017)


  • 2013: New Zealand Institute for Economic Research: contributed to a study on early childhood microsimulation; this work also stimulated the organization of the 2013 conference “Microsimulation in New Zealand”. (Schilling & Spielauer 2013)

  • 2012: Atlantis Healthcare New Zealand: Advisor, member of steering committee of a microsimulation project on chronic diseases and the effect of non-adherence to drug-prescriptions.

  • 2011 - 2012 Anderson Consulting. (US) Development of a microsimulation model of student’s success in US colleges. (Spielauer & Anderson 2012)

  • 2010 - 2011 IIASA Development of a microsimulation model of India’s ‘New Pension System’ NPS. (Kim et,al 2012) funded by the Asian Development Bank

Teaching Roles

  • 2018 Saint Petersburg, Russia: Microsimulation training at the International Autumn School “Demographic Methods in Public Health Research” of The International Laboratory for Population and Health at the Higher School of Economics (Russia) and Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (Germany).

  • 2006-2015 Lecturer at the European Doctoral School for Demography providing microsimulation training in 5-8 day courses at the Max Planck Institute for Demography (Germany), Lund University (Sweden), the French Institute for Demographic Studies or INED (France), The Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain) and the Warsaw School of Economics (Poland)

Microsimulation Models

  • MicroWELT: [Austrian Institute of Economic Research, U Barcelona, Finnish Pension Institute, Finnish Institute for Economic Research] A multi-country model studying the distributional effects of welfare state regimes - Liberal, Universalistic, Conservative, and Mediterranean - in the context of demographic change. The study uses four country examples - UK, Finland, Austria, and Spain. The model integrates detailed family-demographic and education projection with disaggregated National Transfer Accounts breaking down National Accounts by age and other characteristics to capture transfers within and between families and through the tax-benefit and social insurance system.

  • DYNAMIS-POP: [World Bank] a multi-country portable dynamic microsimulation model for population, education and health applications in developing countries. Roles: Key developer responsible for design, estimation, implementation, documentation, and on-site training. Applications for Mauritania, Nepal, and Banglades.

  • MicroDEMS: [Austrian Institute of Economic Research] A multi-purpose model for Austria. So far it was used to study the economic integration of Immigrants in Austria, emigration, labor force participation and employment, and public health expenditures by education from a longitudinal, multi-generational perspective.

  • LifePaths: [Statistics Canada, discontinued] A model of the Canadian society, one of the most complex microsimulation models of the world, developed at Statistics Canada. Roles: Contributions included the re-development of the education modules, enhancements to the demographic modules, the development of a housing module, modelling of saving decisions. Tasks included complex statistical analysis, model documentation, and the training of new staff and external users.

  • Demosim: [Statistics Canada] The first large-scale microsimulation population projection model developed by a Statistical Office. Roles: Development of the education module including the developed of a statistical approach for combining the information of retrospective event history data collected in the General Social Survey with Census data. Model applications for the study of the effect of education on labour force participation.

  • DypEs: [University of Barcelona] Roles: Development of the model prototype, provision of training and project support.

  • DypenSi: [Slovenian Institute of Economic Research]. Roles: Development of the model prototype and project support. Co-Developer of current model updates and extensions.

  • MicroNPS: [Asian Development Bank, terminated] A pension model for India. NPS stands for the New Pension Scheme. Roles: Model design, development and implementation in context of a technical assistance project of the Asian Development Bank for the Indian Government.

  • MicroCC [Andersen Consulting, terminated] A model for the study of American Community Colleges. The MicroCC microsimulation model is based on study career data of over 250,000 community college students who enrolled in Connecticut and Rhode Island. MicroCC simulates term by term progress and completion. Roles: Model design, estimation, implementation and publication.

  • LifeCourse/RiskPaths: [Currently used at the Vienna Institute for Demography]. A simple demographic microsimulation model which initially developed for teaching purposes and the study of fertility changes in Bulgaria and Russia. Over the time, the model was continuously refined and adapted for studies in various countries including Canada and France.

  • MicroSSR: [IIASA] A model prototype developed in the context of a study of Japanese pension reform options.

  • Famsim++: [terminated, PhD project. Used at the Austrian Institute for family studies] An education projection model for Austria. This research is published as a PhD thesis, a peer-reviewed paper, as well as a book.

  • Famsim: [IIASA] A model initially developed in the context of a feasibility study for demographic microsimulation projections based on the European Family and Fertility Survey. Roles: Re-Implementation of an existing model, extensions to from Austria to various other European Countries.