This month marks the 100th column in the Data for Good series, written by David Corliss. In this latest column, he shows how statisticians can help eradicate human trafficking.
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Explore US Statistical Agencies with Stats+Stories
Those interested in the work of US statistical agencies, their international counterparts, or topics related to their work might want to dive into this Stats+Stories podcast episode list.
Meet Bureau of Economic Analysis Director Vipin Arora
Vipin Arora became director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis in December of 2022. Amstat News asked him to respond to a few questions so readers can learn more about him and the agency he runs.
FY23 Budgets, FY24 Budget Request Show Strong Support for Research, Statistical Agencies
The December deal to fund the US government for the current fiscal year included an increase of 14% for the National Science Foundation and 6% for the National Institutes of Health, along with double-digit percent increases for several statistical agencies. Released in March, the president’s requested budget for fiscal year 2024 (FY24) also has favorable increases for the agencies but will face the new Republican majority in the US House of Representatives, where there is a desire to reduce federal government spending to FY22 levels.
ASA, COPAFS, Partners Urge Bolstering of Federal Statistical Agencies
Federal statistics have undergirded our democracy, society, and economy since the nation’s founding. Even as their importance has increased over the centuries—especially recently with the focus on evidence-based policymaking—the agencies producing the data have been neglected, lost important autonomy and statutory protections, and been pushed deeper into the federal bureaucracy.
FY21 Federal Budget Finalized
![Figure 1 shows the budgets of the seven mid-sized statistical agencies normalized to their FY09 levels, along with the GDP deflator to account for inflation. Budget restructuring for ERS in FY15 and ORES in FY19 are accounted for in the graph to allow for comparison over this time period. One-time moving costs in FY16 for BEA are also omitted. [Key: BEA, Bureau of Economic Analysis; BJS, Bureau of Justice Statistics; BTS, Bureau of Transportation Statistics; ERS, USDA Economic Research Service; NCSES, NSF National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics; ORES, Social Security Administration Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics; SOI, IRS Statistics of Income Division]](https://magazine.amstat.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/FY_Figure1_-150x150.jpg)
The NIH, NSF, and several federal statistical agencies received increases, but many are facing fiscal challenges after years of purchasing power loss.
Stats4Good: A Look at How Statistical Science Is Making an Impact on Poverty
While poverty is defined nationally, it is experienced locally. A community-based approach means many Data for Good researchers are needed.
Senior Research Fellowships Available from BLS, BEA
The ASA, in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Bureau of Economic Analysis under a grant from the National Science Foundation, is offering senior research fellow programs for 2021.
COVID-19 and the Federal Statistical Agencies: Effects and Reactions
While all the principal federal statistical agencies have efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic, this article highlights several related to the economy, health, and transportation.
BEA’s Innovation Spurs Projects for Richer Economic Statistics
The people of the Bureau of Economic Analysis have to be economic data pioneers. Here is a snapshot of a few of the data projects BEA’s economists are working on.