Meet CBO Analysts

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Associate Analyst

Budget Analysis Division

Making a Difference

Finding a job you like is always tough.

I've always been interested in problem solving and trying to make a difference in the world. That led me to pursuing degrees in both economics and public policy, which eventually led me to CBO--a place where problem solving helps to make a difference in the world. I found my way to CBO in 2001, when my senior adviser at Morehouse put a CBO internship information sheet in my hand (and told me to apply). I took a chance and landed an internship in the Health and Human Resources Division working on unemployment insurance issues, which unbeknownst to any of us, would become very important in the wake of 9/11. Because of the work I'd done in the summer, I was invited to intern for the rest of the year in the Budget Analysis Division and had the opportunity to work on issues ranging from fugitive felons to Alaskan bush pilots.

After entering my graduate program, I began to look for jobs that would both fit and enhance my newly acquired skill set. Given what I knew about the people and the quality of the work, the only place that came to mind was CBO. As an intern, I'd gained insight on CBO's environment and the type of work produced at CBO, but what led me back was the fact that I would immediately be responsible for specific policy areas.This is often a concern for new graduates; no one wants to take a job where your work doesn't matter. Lucky for me, at CBO, all of the work matters.

I accepted a job in the Defense, International Affairs, and Veterans Affairs Unit of the Budget Analysis Division and work on issues relating to veterans' disability compensation, pensions, and related issues. Having always wanted to work in a sector dealing with people, something difficult to do when you work in budgeting, this particular job suits me well: I deal directly with issues that affect millions of disabled veterans of the U.S. military.

Working at CBO provides me with the opportunity to work in a fast-paced environment, yet gives me plenty of time to enjoy all that the nation's Capitol has to offer. There are days when the work is challenging and you need to get 12 things done in an hour, but the supportive management team and staff always find a way to help you accomplish everything--and do it well.

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Principal Analyst

Health and Human Resources Division

I was nearing the end of my doctoral program in health policy and preparing for the American Economic Association meetings when I learned about CBO as a potential employer. I did not know much about the agency, but my adviser, David Cutler, suggested I take a look. I was immediately intrigued by the direct policy relevance of CBO's work. Not only did it involve topics at the forefront of public policy, but the results of the analyses had a direct impact on policymaking. The long list of publications by CBO's analysts and its thoroughly nonpartisan nature suggested a strong sense of integrity and academic strength. During the interview, I felt entirely at home discussing the issues of the day--and challenged and excited by the prospect of working on the most difficult and controversial topics in health economics and policy.

The ebb and flow of the work here depends partly on what's going on in the Congress. When I first arrived in 2003, we were working on estimates of Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage. After that, the pace was somewhat more relaxed and I was able to be a part of several publications including one on geographic variation in health care spending and one on a health insurance coverage simulation model we had been developing. That model is now at the forefront of our efforts in analyzing comprehensive health reform.

CBO Work

At CBO, you get the sense that you are at the middle of a diagram with an arrow leading in from the academic world; another pointing in from the Congress; and a third coming from the private sector, think tanks, and other groups interested in the analytical results. But the critical aspect of the work here--and CBO's great strength--is that outside forces have absolutely no influence on the direction or the results of our analyses. Everything we do occurs in a powerful culture of review and openness and questioning of conclusions.

I find all of our work satisfying, but I particularly enjoy the intersection of theoretical inquiry and empirical application. My colleagues and I typically spend part of the day exchanging ideas and impressions about current research to improve our understanding of health care and economics, we spend part of it refining our models, and we spend some other portion in research and in writing documents that will inform the Congress and the public. (Why do we spend so much on health care, for example, and why does that amount keep rising?) A significant part of our time is spent examining policy and legislative proposals that we ultimately help to shape through an iterative process of analysis and feedback. I particularly enjoy an element that is common in my work: that is the challenge of drawing on theoretical and empirical literature to estimate the size of an effect or the magnitude of a parameter to use in models of human behavior in response to policy changes.

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Assistant Analyst

Macroeconomic Analysis Division

I graduated from Colby College in May of 2008 and began working at the CBO the following September. When applying for jobs, I knew I wanted to put my economics background to use. I was also looking for an academic work environment driven by interesting and relevant research. This is exactly what I have found at CBO.

One of the best parts about my job is that I get to work with a lot of really smart people, each of whom has his or her own specialty. One day, I may be helping economists forecast the U.S. economy, the next I could be working on the impacts of climate change. I have also had the opportunity to work on many different types of projects, from internal memos to public reports to testimonies. Since all of our work is intended for Congress, I am always working on subjects that are current and applicable to what's going on right now in the world, which creates a really interesting work environment.

It is also really rewarding to be able to know that your work is going somewhere and being used by Congress! In fact, one of my most memorable times at CBO was the day I attended the hearing for which I had spent the week helping analysts prepare. It was really cool being able to see the project go from just a few numbers and sentences to a testimony being presented before Congress.

CBO also provides many opportunities to become involved and to continue to develop important skills and knowledge. Every Wednesday during the school year, I join a group of CBO staff at a local elementary school to tutor students. I have also been able to attend workshops to improve my writing and seminars on the Hill on subjects of interest.

Overall, CBO is a great place to begin my career. As an assistant analyst interested in economics, there is no better place to be than surrounded by intelligent economists who are passionate about their work!

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Senior Analyst

Microeconomic Studies Division

I joined CBO as a new Ph.D. economist in 1980, just a few years after the agency's founding. Since then, I have worked in many areas, depending on the needs of policy analysis: energy, taxes, financial institutions, telecommunications, and pharmaceuticals, for example. Working on new issues keeps one fresh.

CBO analysts can be confident that their work is relevant and that it will be noticed. In contrast to other settings where analysts write for narrow and specific audiences, at CBO the analysts study the substance of the Congressional agenda, and our work is read and discussed by Members of Congress, staff members, reporters in the popular press, writers in the scholarly press, and policy observers across the country. I was in the audience at a recent conference on telecommunications policy when I heard several speakers cite my most recent report. One corporate official told me he had sent the work to his company's board of directors.

Substantive Contributions

That example is not unique. Over the years, I have seen my work turned into newspaper editorials, quoted in national magazines, and featured on radio and television. I have briefed Members of Congress and Hill staffers, and floor managers have taken my reports into the House or the Senate to argue from them.

But visibility isn't the most exciting aspect of the work. Even more important is that CBO analysts typically have access to the leading people in the field. A few years ago while I was working on a report on science and technology funding, the project was reviewed by several Nobel Prize winners. In the past, I have been briefed by leading computer designers and inventors to ensure that I understood the issues in their area.

Although many agencies produce reports that match CBO's work in scope and importance, CBO has a size advantage. Because CBO is small, individual analysts often can make substantive contributions to the debate. And things can move quickly: Within a month of arriving at CBO, my work was being discussed in the Congress. At another agency, I might have waited years to be in a similar position.

What inspires me at work is the possibility of making a difference. For an analyst's work to garner attention, it must lay out the issues in a way that clarifies the policy choices facing the Congress or it must illuminate new dimensions in those issues. This desire to produce work that is beyond the ordinary, that is beyond the first cut, keeps me engaged nearly three decades after my arrival.