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Measuring an Economy in Transition With William Beach

Feb. 10, 2026 The Baker Institute for Public Policy welcomes Dr. William Beach for an armchair dialogue with the director of the Center for Tax and Budget Policy, John Diamond, on the growing gap between how the U.S. economy functions and how it is measured. As labor markets evolve, demographic trends shift, and technology reshapes work at the task level, the nation’s statistical system is increasingly strained. Drawing on Dr. Beach’s previous leadership at the Bureau of Labor Statistics and his work on reforming federal and state statistical institutions, the conversation will examine why traditional labor market data, survey methods, and occupational classifications are struggling to capture the current economic reality, and why that matters. The discussion will explore how weaknesses in economic data affect fiscal policymaking, budget analysis, and the long-term trajectory of U.S. public finances. As automation and artificial intelligence transform productivity and employment, and as population dynamics place new pressure on federal programs, policymakers require better, more timely data to design effective responses. Welcome Remarks The Honorable David M. Satterfield Director, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy; Janice and Robert McNair Chair in Public Policy; Former ambassador to Lebanon and Turkey Featured Speaker William Beach, D.Phil., is the executive director of the Fiscal Lab on Capitol Hill and a senior fellow in economics at the Economic Policy Innovation Center. He is also the coolidge fellow at the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation. Prior to these appointments, Beach was the fifteenth commissioner of Labor Statistics at the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington, DC. Prior to this position, Beach was vice president for policy research at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University from 2016 to 2019; and, prior to that, he served as the chief economist for the Senate Budget Committee, Republican Staff, from 2013 through early 2016. Among his other professional positions, he was the Lazof Family fellow in economics at The Heritage Foundation and founder and director of its Center for Data Analysis. Prior to joining The Heritage Foundation, Beach served as a senior economist at Sprint United, Inc.’s corporate headquarters. He was also the president of the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University. Beach holds a master’s degree in history and economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a D. Phil. in Economics from Buckingham University in Great Britain, where he is a visiting fellow in Economics. Follow the Baker Institute on social media X ►► https://x.com/BakerInstitute Instagram ►►   / bakerinstitute   LinkedIn ►►   / bakerinstitute   Facebook ►►   / bakerinstitute   About the Baker Institute The Baker Institute is a nonpartisan public policy institute at Rice University. Ranked the No. 1 university-based think tank in the world, its mission is to bridge the world of ideas and the world of action. Visit our website to learn more: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/.