An Interregional Analysis of the North American Newsprint Industry

An economic model of the North American newsprint industry forecasts, over long time periods and by regions, the amount of newsprint produced, consumed, its price, and the quantities transported between regions. The model forecasts the same data for the main raw materials, pulpwood and wastepaper. The core of the model is a recursive quadratic programming system that simulates the behavior of a competitive industry. The model has been used to make 10-year forecasts of key variables describing the industry, based on specific scenarios on economic and demographic growth in the various regions of North America.