OFCE

What OFCE does

OFCE (Observatoire français des conjonctures économiques) is a French economic research institute founded in 1980 and affiliated with Sciences Po (Fondation nationale des Sciences Politiques) in Paris. Its stated mission is to place rigorous scientific research and university independence at the service of public economic debate. The institute produces economic forecasting, policy evaluation, and quantitative analysis for French and European policymakers, with primary beneficiaries including French government ministries, parliamentarians, the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the academic research community.

The institute's core technical assets are two proprietary models. INES is a micro-simulation model co-developed with INSEE, DREES, and CNAF that simulates the effect of socio-fiscal legislation on household disposable income, enabling distributional impact assessment of reforms. ThreeME is a multi-sector macroeconomic model co-developed since 2008 with ADEME and TNO covering 37 economic sectors (including 13 energy and 5 transport sectors) to evaluate environmental and energy policies. OFCE also operates a Tuesday-updated nowcasting tool (Nowcast OFCE) for near-term GDP calibration, and DEBTWATCH, a Shiny/R-based public debt monitoring application. Research output is disseminated through the Revue de l'OFCE journal, Policy Briefs, Working Papers, and the OFCE blog (ÉcoGraphe), with a paid subscription service (Abonnements) for publications.

OFCE's revenue model is not publicly disclosed and is not commercially oriented in the traditional sense. As an affiliate of a nonprofit academic foundation (Sciences Po), the institute is sustained through parent-institution funding, project-based co-development agreements (e.g., with ADEME for ThreeME), publication subscriptions, and institutional partnerships. There is no evidence of venture capital, external equity investors, or commercial product monetization. The organization employs 11-50 staff and operates from Paris, with a research perimeter centered on France and the broader European Union.

Name

OFCE

Legal name

OFCE - Observatoire français des conjonctures économiques

Website

https://ofce.sciences-po.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OFCE is a French economic research institute affiliated with Sciences Po in Paris that produces economic forecasting, policy evaluation, and micro-simulation analysis for government, European institutions, and the academic community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Research and Policy Analysis

NAICS

Administration of General Economic Programs (926110), Public Finance Activities (921130), Administration of Economic Programs (926)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Economic & Macroeconomic Research (BPAHALAD), Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF), Macro & Rates Research (FSACAGAC), Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) (BPADAEAB)

Keywords

• Economic forecasting
• Policy analysis
• Macroeconomic modeling
• Micro-simulation
• Economic research

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

OFCE conducts economic research, forecasting, and quantitative policy analysis for France and the global economy. It develops and operates proprietary economic models (INES micro-simulation model for socio-fiscal policy and ThreeME macroeconomic model for energy/environmental policy) to evaluate the distributional and macroeconomic impacts of public policies. Outputs are disseminated through academic publications, policy briefs, working papers, the Revue de l'OFCE journal, real-time nowcasting tools, and a public debt monitoring application (DEBTWATCH).

Product overview

OFCE (Observatoire français des conjonctures économiques) operates as a research center affiliated with Sciences Po, offering a portfolio of economic analysis tools and publications. The core research tools include the INES micro-simulation model (used via the EVAMODI project) for evaluating socio-fiscal policy impacts on household income distribution, and the ThreeME macroeconomic model for assessing energy and environmental policy scenarios. These are complemented by the DEBTWATCH debt monitoring application and the Nowcast real-time forecasting tool. OFCE disseminates its research through multiple publication channels including the Revue de l'OFCE academic journal, Policy Briefs, and Working Papers series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INES: A micro-simulation model co-developed by INSEE, DREES, and CNAF that simulates the effect of socio-fiscal legislation on household disposable income. OFCE uses INES for public policy evaluation.
• ThreeME
• EVAMODI

Products and services

• INES (Impôts et revenus simulés) A co-developed micro-simulation model (with INSEE, DREES, CNAF) that simulates the effect of socio-fiscal legislation on household disposable income including taxes, social contributions, family benefits, and social minima, enabling distributive impact evaluation of past or proposed reforms. Targeted at policy makers, government agencies, and researchers.
• ThreeME (Multi-sector Macroeconomic Model for the Evaluation of Environmental and Energy policy) A multi-sector macroeconomic model developed by OFCE in collaboration with ADEME and TNO since 2008, providing detailed quantitative analysis of energy and environmental policy consequences with 37 economic sectors including 13 energy and 5 transport sectors. Serves French government agencies, environmental policy makers, and researchers.
• DEBTWATCH A publicly accessible debt monitoring application (Shiny/R-based) developed by OFCE that allows users to track and analyze public and private debt indicators. Targeted at researchers, policy analysts, and the general public.
• Nowcast OFCE A real-time nowcasting tool updated every Tuesday morning that provides near-term economic forecasting, used to calibrate current quarter predictions during bi-annual forecasting exercises. Serves policy makers, financial analysts, and academic researchers.
• Revue de l'OFCE The academic journal of OFCE publishing economic forecasts, studies, and special issues on topics including European perspectives, French economic policy, and sector-specific analyses. Available by subscription for institutional and individual subscribers.
• Policy Briefs Concise policy analysis publications providing economic assessments on current policy issues, budget analysis, and socioeconomic impact evaluations. Targeted at policy makers, journalists, and informed public.
• Working Papers

Quantifiable outcome

• Bi-annual economic forecasts for France, Europe, and the global economy published in the Revue de l'OFCE
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• ADEME (Agence de la transition écologique)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Long-standing collaboration since 2008 for the development of the ThreeME macroeconomic model for evaluating environmental and energy policies in France. ADEME co-funds and co-develops the model alongside OFCE.
• TNO (Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast wetenschappelijk onderzoek)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Dutch research organization collaborating with OFCE since 2008 on the development of the ThreeME model for environmental and energy policy evaluation.
• INSEE (Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of the INES micro-simulation model. INSEE provides the ERFS survey data and administrative data linkages essential for the model's calibration.
• DREES (Direction de la recherche, des études, de l'évaluation et des statistiques)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of the INES micro-simulation model alongside INSEE and CNAF. Provides social statistics and data for policy simulation.
• CNAF (Caisse nationale des allocations familiales)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of the INES micro-simulation model. Provides family benefit data and administrative records essential for simulating social policies.
• CASD (Centre d'Accès Sécurisé aux Données)coreTechnology or IntegrationOFCE conducts its research within CASD's secure environment, enabling access to confidential statistical data. CASD project number scss-1589-7. CASD provides the secure infrastructure for data access and processing.
• European ParliamentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOFCE contributes expert analysis to the European Parliament's Monetary Dialogue, providing written contributions on monetary policy issues such as energy shocks and interest rate policy.
• Sciences Po (Fondation nationale des sciences politiques)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOFCE is a research center of Sciences Po. The organization was given its mission at its founding to put rigorous scientific research at the service of public economic debate.
• CEVIPOF (Centre de recherches politiques de Sciences Po)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint seminars organized on European theory and political economy topics, bringing together economics and political science perspectives.
• AIECE (Association d'Instituts Européens de Conjoncture Économique)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOFCE participates in AIECE activities, including bi-annual meetings of European economic forecasting institutes for joint forecasts and methodological exchange.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• OFCE-alumni spin-off: Sciences Po Economic Policy Research community (CEVIPOF, Sciences Po Department of Economics): Adjacent Sciences Po research centers (political science at CEVIPOF, broader economics department) that OFCE collaborates with on seminars and European political economy. Comparable through shared parent institution, governance conventions, and overlapping French policy audience.

Direct peers

• ifo Institute (ifo Institut – Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung): Munich-based economic research institute publishing the ifo Business Climate Index and applied policy research. Closely matches OFCE in mission (independent economic forecasting and policy evaluation) and in serving as a publicly-credentialed source for German and European policy debates.
• Bruegel: Brussels-based European economic think tank producing macroeconomic analysis, policy papers, and contributions to EU policy debates. Closely comparable to OFCE in serving EU-level institutional audiences with rigorous independent economic research.
• IMK (Macroeconomic Policy Institute, Hans-Böckler-Stiftung): German macro-policy research institute affiliated with the Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, producing applied macro research including distributional and labor-market analysis. Direct functional peer to OFCE for independent macro-policy analysis with a left-leaning applied orientation.
• DIW Berlin (German Institute for Economic Research): German economic research institute producing applied economic analysis, policy evaluation, and quarterly forecasts. Directly comparable to OFCE as a European national-level economic think tank delivering forecasts, working papers, and policy briefs to government and academic audiences.
• France Stratégie: French governmental strategic analysis body attached to the Prime Minister, producing economic forecasting and policy evaluation studies. Direct domestic peer operating in adjacent policy-research territory with similar deliverables for French public decision-makers.
• Prometeia: Italian economic research and consulting firm producing macroeconomic forecasts, scenario analyses, and country-risk studies. Comparable to OFCE in European national-level economic analysis and forecasts, with a more commercially-oriented delivery model.
• RWI – Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung: German economic research institute producing forecasts, policy evaluations, and applied micro-economics. Comparable in scope to OFCE as a Leibniz-affiliated national economic research center with policy-evaluation mandates.
• CEPII (Centre d'Études Prospectives et d'Informations Internationales): French research center on international economics, focused on trade, macroeconomics, and globalization. Direct French peer to OFCE, similarly affiliated with a major academic institution and producing policy-relevant research for French and EU policymakers.
• NIESR (National Institute of Economic and Social Research): UK-based economic research institute producing quarterly GDP forecasts and policy research. Direct European peer in business model and outputs (forecasts, working papers, policy briefings for government and academic users).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ofceparis
• Facebookfacebook.com/ofcesciencespo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/le-golvan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OFCE