Latest Research

The views expressed in these papers are solely those of the authors and not necessarily those of the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis or the U.S. Department of Commerce.


Early Evidence on the Relationship Between AI, Costs, and Prices Within BEA’s Industry Economic Accounts

In previous work Highfill and Samuels [2026], we explored the relationship between AI and the sources of U.S. economic growth. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between AI adoption, production costs, and output prices. We find that AI intensity is associated with lower prices… Read more

By Tina Highfill, Jon D. Samuels
Published

The Impact of Capitalizing Data on Productivity Growth in the U.S.

The System of National Accounts 2025 revision recommends treating own-account data as an intangible capital asset. This study explores the impact of this recommendation on the sources of economic growth for the U.S. economy from 2002 to 2024. We use experimental estimates for own-account data… Read more

By Jon D. Samuels, J Bayoán Santiago Calderón, Corby Garner
Published

An Accounting Framework for Human Capital

Human capital is a primary driver of economic growth, yet the United States lacks an official measure in its national accounts. This accounting fails to capture education’s full economic significance and contrasts sharply with how other capital assets contribute to GDP. The omission risks… Read more

By Justine Mallatt
Published

Quantifying Productivity Growth in Medical Care: 20 Years of Evidence From Nine Health Conditions

Productivity growth is the fundamental driver of improvements in living standards. However, accurately measuring productivity remains challenging for the health care sector, which accounts for about 18% of the U.S. economy. We develop a framework that combines a utility-based measure of output… Read more

By Calvin Ackley, Abe C. Dunn, John A. Romley
Published