Advancing forecasting research and practice
Panel discussion at the International Symposium on Forecasting, Thessaloniki, Greece
Topic: Advancing forecasting research and practice: the contribution of the Institute and its journals
Speakers:
- Robert Fildes. Director, Centre for Marketing Analytics and Forecasting, Lancaster University
- Spyros Makridakis. Professor, University of Nicosia
- Gael Martin. Professor of Econometrics, Monash University
- Esther Ruiz. Catedrático de Universidad, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
- Rob Hyndman. Professor of Statistics, Monash University
Brief:
The Institute and the two journals dedicated to forecasting (International Journal of Forecasting, Journal of Forecasting) were set up starting in 1981 to act as a central focus for research into all the wide variety of methods and forecasting practice. The proposed audience for the journals aimed to include practitioners, users and researchers in the social, behavioural, management and engineering sciences. The underlying philosophy was to be truly Interdisciplinary and to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Areas identified as important included:
- Evaluation of different methodologies
- New Methods in judgement, econometrics and time series
- Technological forecasting
- Organisational aspects
- Impact of uncertainty on decision making
Papers would be selected depending on their Importance, competence, replicability and their use of the method of multiple hypotheses. Further exploration and dissemination of research ideas were to be through the Forecasting Symposia, the first being in Quebec City in 1981. Since then the Institute has added Foresight, its practitioner journal as well as focussed workshops and most recently an early career network and summer school to its portfolio.
In this 39th Symposium on Forecasting the aim of this panel is to review these founding objectives and critically evaluate where the journals and the Institute have succeeded and where there have been failures. Finally, panellists will consider the future of forecasting – where gains should be made and where they are likely to occur.