Word: nber
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1970-1979
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
After Mitchell's tenure, John R. Meyer, president of the bureau from 1967 to 1977, extended the range of the NBER's research from simply empirical studies to areas that include more social concerns such as the economy of the family and income distribution. But the federal government itself now produces the statistics the bureau pioneered. And under Feldstein, who took office in spring of 1977, "The nature of the bureau has changed to more theory instead of statistics and number games," Takatoshi Ito, a research assistant, says...
...resource studies, along with a tremendous turnover in personnel, have given the bureau new vitality. "The bureau has always been a great institution, and periodically it needs renewal," he says. "Now, it has been renewed." Eckstein adds that a factual and empirical focus is not subject ot renewal; the NBER's first president began the bureau in a rebellion against the theoretical thrust of economics at that time. But because it is impossible to dictate what research will improve the performance of the U.S. economy, Eckstein says research must be done without prior expectations. "Goal-oriented research has traditionally been...
Robert W. Fogel, Burbank Professor of Political Economy, heads an NBER program concerned with long-term trends in the development of the American economy. One of his studies deals with the economics of change in human stature through the years. He says he is finding that the rate of change reflects the wealth of the community. "It's a very good index of inequality of income. We're using it to investigate patterns by which different income and wealth existed and the circumstances under which they disappear and diminish," Fogel explains. He adds that a number of researchers felt there...
...fact, the NBER strives to remain research-oriented and discount a project's lack of immediate application. The federal government funds many of the bureau's projects through the National Science Foundation and through individual agencies for which NBER does work. But NBER's charter states, "the bureau makes no recommendations on legislation or policy, only determines economic factors with impartiality...
Research associates may apply for grants through the bureau, or use the unrestricted contributions that companies and individuals give the NBER--"untied funds that we are able to move into an area without waiting for the gestation of a project," Charles E. McLure Jr., vice president of the NBER, explains. NBER publishes about 100 research papers a year. The bureau faced deficits in fiscal years 1975 and 1976 but, McLure adds, its endowment covered the loss. Feldstein has closed out fiscal '77 and '78 with surplusses...