Explaining Analytical Methods
- Working Paper
Estimating the Economic Effects of Federally Funded R&D: Working Paper 2026-08
CBO describes its current analytical framework for modeling the economic effects of changes in federal funding for R&D, focusing on two approaches that CBO has developed: an R&D capital stock approach and an R&D components approach.
- Presentation
Estimating the Economic Effects of Federal Investment in Research and Development
Presentation about work by Sheila Campbell, Jaeger Nelson, Eli Schrag, Heidi Williams, and Caleb Wroblewski at the NBER Entrepreneurship and Innovation Policy and the Economy Conference.
- Working Paper
Key Methods That CBO Used to Estimate the Macroeconomic Effects of the 2025 Reconciliation Act: Working Paper 2026-01
The 2025 reconciliation act included a wide range of provisions that affect policies governing federal revenues and spending. This working paper describes the key methods that CBO used to estimate the law's macroeconomic effects.
- Report
How Taxes Affect the Incentive to Invest in New Intangible Assets
CBO found that the tax burden on intangible assets is lower than that on tangible assets. In CBO’s estimation, the 2017 tax act increases the tax burden on research and development but reduces it on most other intangible assets.