Peter Dixon

Peter Dixon is known internationally for his work in computable general equilibrium (CGE) modelling. He obtained his PhD from Harvard University in 1972. He is the author of 8 books and about 200 published papers.

He is best known for his ORANI and MONASH models of the Australian economy, and is the principal author of the ORANI and MONASH books published in 1982 and 2002 in the North Holland Contributions series. In 2003 his work in economic modelling was recognised by the award of the Distinguished Fellowship of the Economic Society of Australia, the Society’s highest honour. He is the editor (with Dale Jorgenson, Harvard) of Elsevier’s Handbook of Computable General Equilibrium Modeling to be published in late 2012.

Since 2000, Peter has led the development of the USAGE model of the U.S. economy which is being used by the U. S. International Trade Commission and the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security and Energy.

Key policy topics on which the model has been applied include: the effects of significant import restraints; the replacement of imported crude oil with domestically produced biofuels; legalization of unauthorized immigrants; the 2008-9 U.S. recession with and without the Obama stimulus package; and the President’s National Export Initiative.

The unauthorized immigration work in 2009 received widespread publicity including an editorial in the Wall Street Journal and an article in Newsweek as well as coverage in many leading provincial newspapers. Dixon presented the research at a seminar on Capitol Hill attended by over 100 Congressional advisers and media representatives. The seminar was televised and shown throughout the U.S. on C-Span.