This page provides access to papers and presentations prepared by BEA staff. Abstracts are presented in HTML format; complete papers are in PDF format with selected tables in XLS format. 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.

Accounting for Intellectual Property Products: International Guidelines for National Economic Accounting and U.S. Rules for Financial Accounting

The international guidelines for national economic accounting recommend capitalizing expenditures related to intellectual property products (IPPs) in some cases where U.S. rules for financial accounting require immediate expensing of the same expenditures. This paper outlines the international… Read more

Dylan Rassier
P2013-2
Published
JEL Code(s)None Assigned

Recent Research on Disease-Based Price Indexes: Where Do We Stand?

 

 
Ana M. Aizcorbe
Published
JEL Code(s)None Assigned

Copyright-Protected Assets in the National Accounts

In 2007, we estimate that US businesses and governments invested $278 billion in software and US artists produced $71 billion worth of long-lived entertainment originals. These copyrighted materials will yield useful services for years to come. Because of their long working life, the… Read more

Rachel Soloveichik, David B. Wasshausen
WP2013-14
Published
JEL Code(s)None Assigned

Long-Lived Television Programs as Capital Assets

In 2007, I estimate that studios and networks released long-lived television programs worth $26.7 billion. Those long-lived television programs were first shown on TV in 2007 and will be broadcast for decades to come. Because of their long working life, the international guidelines for national… Read more

Rachel Soloveichik
WP2013-9
Published
JEL Code(s)None Assigned

Books as Capital Assets

In 2007, I estimate that authors and publishers created original books with a value of $9.1 billion. These books were first sold starting in 2008, and will continue to be sold for decades to come. Because of their long working life, the international guidelines for national accounts recommends… Read more

Rachel Soloveichik
WP2013-11
Published
JEL Code(s)None Assigned

Music Originals as Capital Assets

In 2007, I estimate that musicians and recording studios created original songs, including recorded performances, with an estimated value of $7.8 billion. These songs were sold on CDs in 2008 and will be played on the radio, on television and at live concerts for decades to come. Because of… Read more

Rachel Soloveichik
WP2013-8
Published
JEL Code(s)None Assigned

Miscellaneous Artwork as Capital Assets

In 2007, I estimate that playwrights, artists, photographers and designers created miscellaneous artwork worth $3.3 billion. By category, theatrical play scripts were $1.4 billion, greeting card designs were $0.5 billion and commercial stock photography was $1.4 billion. Taken individually, each… Read more

Rachel Soloveichik
WP2013-10
Published
JEL Code(s)None Assigned

Theatrical Movies As Capital Assets

In 2007, I estimate that studios spent $20.0 billion producing original theatrical movies. These movies were shown in theaters in 2008 and will be sold on DVD and broadcast on television for decades to come. Because of their long working life, the international guidelines for national accounts… Read more

Rachel Soloveichik
WP2013-7
Published
JEL Code(s)None Assigned

Measuring productivity for the US health sector

U.S. health care expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) reached 17.9 percent in 2011. That share will continue to grow significantly, according to recent studies by the Congressional Budget Office. This trend has raised questions about the sources of this growth, whether the… Read more

Ana M. Aizcorbe, Gabriel W. Medeiros, Erich H. Strassner
Published
JEL Code(s)None Assigned

Standard Errors in the U.S. Regional Price Parities (RPPs)

Relative price levels for all the U.S. states and metropolitan regions were estimated in Aten, Figueroa and Martin (2011, 2012, forthcoming 2013) 1 . We use the term RPPs and relative price levels interchangeably since no currency conversion is necessary within the U.S. This is similar to the… Read more

Bettina H. Aten, Eric B. Figueroa, Troy Martin
WP2013-5
Published
JEL Code(s)C43