Impact assessment modelling for the Ocean Economy: A review of developments

With increasing attention being paid to the role of marine related activity in promoting sustainable economic growth as well as development in coastal areas, it is important to be able to model the impact of policy decisions in this area in an ex-ante fashion. This paper provides an overview of an Economic, Social, Spatial and Environmental (ESSE) framework developed for impact assessment of ocean related industries. The modelling approach is applied to the ocean economy of Ireland and combines proven methodologies, namely input-output modelling and microsimulation, in order to assess multi-dimensional impacts. The capabilities of the ESSE modelling framework are highlighted using policy development examples from marine renewable energy, aquaculture and fisheries.