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Inforum, or the Interindustry Forecasting Project at the University of Maryland, was founded 40 years ago by Dr. Clopper Almon, now Professor Emeritus of the University. It is dedicated to improving business planning, government policy analysis, and the general understanding of the economic environment. Inforum accomplishes this mission through:

• Building and using structural economic models of U.S. and other economies. Inforum pioneered the construction of dynamic, interindustry, macroeconomic models which portray the economy in a unique "bottom-up" fashion.

• Working with government and private sector research sponsors to investigate a variety of issues. Economic projections and analysis using Inforum econometric models are distinguished by detail at the industrial and product level.

• Serving as a training crucible for University of Maryland graduate students who receive valuable training in empirical economics. Indeed, Inforum graduate research assistants have completed over 40 Ph.D. dissertations, most of which have contributed directly to the infrastructure of Inforum.

• Maintaining active and productive ties with a world-wide network of research associates, each of which uses Inforum modeling methods and software. The Inforum partners have held annual conferences since 1993.

In 2007, Inforum proudly celebrated its 40th anniversary. Since its founding in 1967 by Dr. Clopper Almon, Inforum has operated at the University of Maryland, serving clients in business and government and providing training for many university students, visiting scholars, and others. Inforum continues to foster cooperation and development of economic knowledge and techniques with partners around the world.

NEWS HEADLINES

Selected news stories are listed below. A complete listing of recent news also is available.

Fall 2011 Outlook Conference and Forecasts December 2011 - The 2011 Inforum Outlook conference was held on December 13 at the University of Maryland. The latest Inforum economic outlook was presented to a gathering of 80 professionals from government, business, and academia. See the conference page for additional details.

Failure to Act: The Economic Impact of Current Investment Trends on Surface Transportation InfrastructureJuly 27, 2011 - Inforum and the Economic Development Research Group investigated the economic impacts of deterioration of roads and other transportation infrastructure over the next 30 years. The work was sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

2011 Western Economics Association Conference June 30, 2011 - Doug Meade and Bryan M. Shone of the U.S. Department of Defense presented their joint paper Potential Uses of DEPPS as an Analytical Tool for Defense Policy Makers at the 2011 conference of the Western Economics Association.

19th International Input-Output ConferenceJune 6, 2011 - Clopper Almon, Jeffrey Werling, Doug Meade, Doug Nyhus, and Ron Horst will be presenting work at the 19th International Input-Output Conference in Alexandria, Virginia on June 16th. The International Input-Output Association (IIOA) is a non-profit organization that promotes the use of input-output economic analysis around the world. Inforum partners from China, Denmark, Italy, and Russia also will participate. A conference program is available.

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