—The absence of a coherent set of federal policies
to improve economic structure has resulted in a lack
of articulate demand for data on structural elements
ASA Science Policy Actions
(i.e., industry capacity and competitiveness; regional
ASA signs letters in support of funding for the
economic activity; and the building blocks of inno-
Decennial Census, STEM education, and basic
vation, entrepreneurship, work force development,
research funding in stimulus bill
physical and financial infrastructure, and commu-
nity stability). ASA urges quick appointment of new U.S.
Census Bureau director
—Advocates for adequate statistics agency funding
are not well-informed or organized, largely because
ASA signs letter to then President-elect
of the complexity and opaqueness of the statistics
Barack Obama about the importance of
system and the appropriations process.
STEM education
—There is no congressional committee to exer-
cise oversight of the economic statistics system
as a whole.
—To inform the fiscal year 2011 budget request,
—The OMB office charged with coordinating
the NEC should commission the National Academy
the entire federal statistics system has only five
of Sciences to conduct a six-month reconnaissance
staff workers.
of the capacity of the economic statistics system
to meet public- and private-sector data user needs
The secondary reason for the gap between data
and make priority recommendations for additional
supply and need is the lack of strong relationships
improvements.
between the producers and users of economic statis-
tics. Historically, the three major economic statistics
—Within its budget review section, OMB should
agencies—BLS, BEA, and the U.S. Census Bureau’s
create a working group of budget analysts respon-
Economic Programs Directorate—considered their
sible for the various economic statistics agencies to
primary customers to be the macroeconomic policy-
ensure the president’s budget request meets needs as
makers; needs of other data users have been deemed
defined by the NEC.
less important. Consequently, agencies have lacked
motivation to learn about the needs and priorities
—The capacity of the OMB Office of Statistical
of these other data users and how agencies might
and Science Policy should be expanded.
better serve them. As a result, product development
for nonmacroeconomic policy uses has been inter-
—The White House Office of Legislative Affairs
mittent and ad hoc, existing data for such uses are
should communicate to the congressional appro-
the first to be cut in times of budget constraint, and
priations committees that passage of the president’s
data users are not adequately informed to play an
budget request for statistics agencies is a priority.
effective advocacy role.
—To inform product development efforts and
A New Federal Approach
resource allocation decisions, each federal economic
To improve the nation’s economic statistics
statistics agency should take steps to enhance rela-
system, the federal government should take the
tionships and communication with key data users.
following steps:
—The Joint Economic Committee should create an
—President Barack Obama should direct the
economic statistics subcommittee to provide over-
National Economic Council (NEC) to develop and
sight to the economic statistics system.
oversee implementation of a plan to upgrade the
economic statistics system to support more effective
Throughout his campaign, Obama called for
national economic policy and intelligent public- and
“smarter government,” one that allocates trillions of
private-sector decisionmaking.
dollars on the basis of good information about need
and prospective effects. Quickly restoring the health
—The president’s fiscal year 2010 budget request
of the nation’s economic statistics system is the nec-
should include sufficient funding to upgrade out-
essary first step in fulfilling the president’s vision. ■
moded information technology and restore deterio-
rated data series.
MARCH 2009 AMSTAT NEWS 35
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