IIOA Conference gathers researchers, policy makers on new input-output techniques

By Zufazlin Baharuddin

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- The International Input-Output Association (IIOA) Conference begins today in Langkawi, Kedah with 200 participants from around the world to promote and exchange views among input-output technique of practitioners, researchers and policy makers.

Malaysian Input-Output Economic Association president Prof Madya Mohd Yusof Saari said the conference provides a vital platform for new data development and compilation, including new methods to collect data for research and statistics.

Input-output analysis is a form of macroeconomic analysis based on the interdependencies between different economic sectors or industries. This method is commonly used for estimating the impacts of positive or negative economic shocks and analysing the ripple effects throughout an economy.

“This conference is a platform for all input-output practitioners around the world to invent new development of input-output analysis which include the development of data base for specific countries and regions,” he told Bernama.

Mohd Yusof said among the highlighted topics are sustainable economy, global value chain analysis, disaster analysis, employment analysis, foreign labour requirements and COVID-19 post economy recovery.

“For example, some of the papers submitted focused on disaster analysis and actually brought the case of earthquakes in Japan, but this can be related to the floods in Malaysia which we have experienced lately,” he said.

“Meanwhile, we have analysis on the global value chain which was affected by the current pandemic as well as on the employment issue which is under recovery and needs to be resolved,” he said.

He said the conference will consist of plenary sessions, council meetings, an annual general assembly and conference dinner.

The 28th IIOA Conference which runs from Aug 28-Sept 2 is the first IIOA conference held in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

It is organised by IIOA, Malaysian Input-Output Economic Association and Centre for Future Labour Market Studies known as EU-ERA.

-- BERNAMA