Chain drift is the difference between the rate of change calculated by chaining an index over a multi period interval and that obtained using endpoints only. This intransitivity can produce ambiguity in estimated growth rates if the “correct” linking interval is not known. The present paper...

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) has initiated a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project to produce an official BEA/NSF R&D Satellite Account (R&DSA). This paper presents a possible trade-based methodology for estimating cross-border R&D spillovers, which reflects an important...

Chain drift is the difference between the rate of change calculated by chaining an index over a multi period interval and that obtained using endpoints only. More generally, different linking intervals yield different estimates. In this paper, procedures are suggested for evaluating the severity...

The paper looks at the 10 recessions since World War II, and compares them to both monthly and quarterly indicators of general economic activity. It finds that four monthly measures emphasized by the NBER’s dating committee do not fully agree with the official peak and trough months, but...

The December 2004 release of the GSP estimates takes BEA’s integration efforts one-step further, an important long-term goal in BEA’s Strategic Plan. Specifically, due to the concurrent release and integration of the annual IO accounts and the GDP-by-industry accounts and the resulting...

This paper presents integrated macroeconomic accounts for the United States for the period 1985 to 2002 and discusses issues related to their construction and use. Specifically, it focuses on tying together the national income and product accounts (NIPAs) and international transaction accounts...