Comparing with Other Models

January 5, 2025

I’ve finished a model comparison exercise with UKMod. UKMod people are writing an evaluation of ScotBen for a project I’m working on.

It’s been interesting.

It was useful to me in finding some mistakes. I’d completely misunderstood how the high income deduction for Child Benefit actually worked, and missed the importance of the Discretionary Housing Payment in ameliorating the Benefit Cap and 2 child limit - though in my defence I had the sum right, but the word ‘discretionary’ meant I wasn’t counting it in net income.

But those apart it went pretty will. My data seems good, the design of ScotBen made it easy to produce lots of different outputs quickly, and my sums held up with those two exceptions.

I’ve also been doing some work against Howard Reed’s Landman Model and Policy Engine.

I’m away from my main computer (recovering from a operation - long story) and I don’t yet have UKMOD’s report yet. So I’ll have to get back with more detail.