2026 Conference on Budget Analysis and Public Policy
The 2026 Conference on Budget Analysis and Public Policy will be held at the University of Chicago on January 29–30, 2026.
This conference will bring together leading scholars and practitioners to discuss current research and emerging issues in budget policy, fiscal analysis, and public economics. Designed as a collaborative forum, the event will also provide an opportunity for around twenty staff members from the U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to receive feedback on two key topics in the research literature—labor supply elasticities and elasticities relevant to the design of social insurance programs—that inform CBO’s modeling efforts on a wide range of issues of active Congressional interest.
This event is by invitation only. If you have any questions, please contact bfi-events@uchicago.edu.
Agenda
Registration and Breakfast
6th Floor Lounge
Opening Remarks
Peter Ganong, University of Chicago
Session 1: Behavioral elasticities relevant to modeling Social Security
A primer on CBO’s work as covered in this 2024 Journal of Economic Perspectives paper
Julie Topoleski, Director; Labor, Income Security, and Long-Term Analysis Division
CBO Staff Presentation on Social Security
Joey Anderson, Analyst, Long-Term Analysis Unit, Labor, Income Security, and Long-Term Analysis Division
Mook Lim, Analyst, Macroeconomic Analysis Division
Noah Meyerson, Analyst; Income Security Cost Estimates Unit, Budget Analysis Division
Discussion #1
Jeffrey Brown, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Discussion #2
Manasi Deshpande, University of Chicago
Group discussion and break
Lunch
1st Floor Dining Room
Session 2: Behavioral elasticities relevant to modeling unemployment insurance
CBO Staff Presentation on Unemployment Insurance
Justin Falk, Analyst; Labor, Income Security, and Long-Term Analysis Division
Kevin Hunt, Analyst; Labor, Income Security, and Long-Term Analysis Division
Discussion #1
Alex Bell, Georgia State University
Discussion #2
Jason Faberman, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Group discussion
Break
Panel discussion on the labor supply effects of the child tax Credit
Jacob Goldin, University of Chicago (Panelist)
Bruce Meyer, University of Chicago (Panelist)
Matthew Notowidigdo, University of Chicago (Moderator)
Conference Dinner
By invitation only
PhD Student Coffee
Breakfast
6th Floor Lounge
Session 3 - Labor supply elasticities
CBO Staff Presentation on Labor Supply
Ed Harris, Unit Chief; Tax Modeling Unit, Tax Analysis Division
Discussion #1
Robert Shimer, University of Chicago
Discussion #2
James Sullivan, University of Notre Dame