What if the model is the problem?

Crisis after crisis. The experts didn’t see it coming. The maps don’t match the territory.

Model what matters

The questions mainstream economics can’t answer

Open, collaborative modelling fronts — where competent and aspiring modellers gather to build what the textbooks can’t.

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Steve Keen

Steve Keen

Nice to meet you, Dr. Steve Keen


For 50 years, economist Steve Keen has built models that actually work—models that include debt, energy,…

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Ravel and RavelSim

Two main directions


Two methodologies, one workflow: explore data with Ravel, build and simulate models with RavelSim.

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Community

More than 2,600 practitioners


From the community who’ve learned to see what the mainstream can’t see.

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Consulting

Custom modelling & advisory


Bespoke economic modelling, policy analysis and advisory — put our tools and expertise to work on your problem.

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Training

Courses & community


Courses, guides and tutorials to get you modelling fast.

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The official story vs reality

Four fundamental errors in orthodox economics. Hover each card to see what the data actually shows.

Banking

Orthodox View

“Banks lend out savings”

The textbook story: depositors save, banks lend those savings to borrowers.

Hover to reveal reality

Banking

Reality

Banks create money from nothing

Loans create deposits, not the other way around. Confirmed by the Bank of England in 2014.

Move cursor away

Energy

Orthodox View

“Energy powers production”

No energy, no economy. Thermodynamics constrains what’s possible.

Hover to reveal reality

Energy

Reality

Energy is the economy

GDP tracks energy use almost perfectly. Orthodox models treat it as a minor input—the data says otherwise.

Move cursor away

Climate

Orthodox View

“Damage is manageable”

Economic models predict modest GDP impacts from even extreme warming.

Hover to reveal reality

Climate

Reality

Damage is existential

Orthodox models predict 3% GDP loss at 3°C. Real damages could be 10–20x worse once tipping points are included.

Move cursor away

Government

Orthodox View

“Governments must tax & borrow to spend”

The household analogy: governments must balance budgets like families.

Hover to reveal reality

Government

Reality

Governments create money when they spend

A currency-issuing government can never run out of its own money. Taxes regulate demand, not fund spending.

Move cursor away

These aren’t fringe ideas. They’re what the data shows—when you build models that include banks, energy, and complexity.

Tools for observation, analysis and modeling

Two methodologies, one workflow: explore data with Ravel, build and simulate models with RavelSim — the compiled build of our open-source Minsky engine.

Ravel

Explore DataObserve

See what spreadsheets hide. Multi-dimensional data analysis that reveals patterns across time, geography, and sectors.

  • Import central bank data, national accounts, climate series
  • Manipulate dimensions: indicator, freq, unit, date
  • Visualize relationships hidden in flat tables

Toolkit:

Spreadsheets:
ExcelGoogle SheetsRavelQuadratic
OLAP Cubes:
EssbaseTM1SSASJedox
Planning / EPM:
AnaplanBoardProphixWorkday Adaptive
BI Visualization:
TableauPower BILookerQlikSisense
Analytical DBs:
ClickHouseDruidApache PinotStarRocks
Embedded:
Salesforceand more...

RavelSim

ModelingBuild

Model systems that never reach equilibrium—because that's how the real world works.

  • Stock-flow consistency built in—every flow accounted
  • Godley tables enforce sectoral balance integrity
  • Visual interface: see structure, not just equations

Toolkit:

Pure-play commercial:
VensimStella / iThinkPowersimSilico
Multi-method platforms:
AnyLogicNetLogoGoldSimSimulink
Web-based/cloud:
Insight MakersdCloudSimlinKumu
Open source libraries:
MinskyPySDSDEverywhereBPTK-Py
Modelica-based:
OpenModelicaWolframSystemModelerDymola
Domain-specific:
Minsky (economics)En-ROADS (climate)SAAM II (pharma)

Explore data in Ravel. Build models in RavelSim. Test against reality.

Learn. Build. Belong.

Your path forward

From curious beginner to practicing expert. Each stage builds on the last.

Stage 1 / Learn the framework

Foundations

7-week introduction to stock-flow consistent economics. No prerequisites—just curiosity about how the economy actually works.

Understand monetary dynamics

Read Godley tables

Build basic models

Pricing

Choose your membership.

The Ravel Simulation Application

$2.00/ month

Download Windows and Macintosh builds of the open-source Minsky package, also known as the Ravel Simulation Application. This does not include the Ravel interactive manipulability data, and you won’t get access to the “Ravel user” or the “Ravel Fan” tier.

  • Digital downloads
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Ravel Explorer

$10.00/ month

Download Ravel, the spreadsheet killer. You’ll never have to write a cell-reference again. Try it free for 7 days—if you change your mind, cancel via PayPal before seven days elapse, and you won’t be charged. We only begin billing after you sign in.

  • Digital downloads

Ravel Fan

$10.00/ month

Don’t bother with the 7-day trial: I’m sold. Start exploring Ravel immediately with full access to all features and data tools.

  • Digital downloads

Join 2,600+ practitioners

Challenging orthodoxy together

From the community who’ve learned to see what the mainstream can’t see.

I've been trying to understand why mainstream models missed 2008. Steve's approach to debt dynamics finally gave me the tools to see what was happening.

SK

Sarah K.

Financial Analyst

RavelSim lets me build models with feedback loops and non-equilibrium dynamics. It's what every system dynamics modeler wishes they had for economics.

AL

Alex L.

Policy Researcher