Measurement Issues Arising
from the Growth of Globalization
*

November 6-7, 2009
Washington, DC

W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
and
National Academy of Public Administration
900 7th Street NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC
(202) 347-3190

AGENDA

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6

8:15 – 8:45
8:45 – 9:00

Continental Breakfast
Introductions

9:00 – 10:15

Session 1: Services Offshoring

         

         

Chair: Kenneth Ryder (NAPA)

"Measuring the Impact of Trade in Services: Prospects and Challenges," J. Bradford Jensen (Georgetown University and Peterson Institute for International Economics)
The author's PowerPoint presentation.
"Measuring Success in the Global Economy: International Trade, Industrial Upgrading, and Business Function Outsourcing in Global Value Chains," Timothy Sturgeon (MIT) and Gary Gereffi (Duke University)
The author's PowerPoint presentation.
"Background paper." Clair Brown (University of California-Berkeley) and Timothy Sturgeon (MIT) with Peter Marsden (Harvard University) and Frank Potter (Mathematica Policy Research)

Discussant: Torbjörn Fredriksson (UNCTAD)
The discussant's PowerPoint presentation.

10:15 – 10:30

Break

10:30 – 11:45

Session 2: Measuring the Impact of Offshoring on the Labor Market

         

         

Chair: Janet Norwood (NAPA)

"Addressing the Demand for Time Series and Longitudinal Data on Occupational Employment," Katharine Abraham (University of Maryland) and James R. Spletzer (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
The authors' PowerPoint presentation.
"Understanding the Domestic Labor Market Impact of Offshore Services Outsourcing: Measurement Issues," Lori G. Kletzer (University of California-Santa Cruz and Peterson Institute for International Economics)
The author's PowerPoint presentation.

Discussant: Timothy Sturgeon (MIT)

11:45 – 1:00

Lunch

1:00 – 2:15

Session 3: Measurement Implications of Transformation Offshoring and Imported Intermediate Inputs

         

         

Chair: Ned Howenstein (Bureau of Economic Analysis)

"Outsourcing, Offshoring, and Trade: Identifying Foreign Activity Across Census Data Products," Ron Jarmin, C.J. Krizan, and John Tang (U.S. Census Bureau)
The authors' PowerPoint presentation.
"Effects of Imported Intermediate Inputs on Productivity." Lucy P. Eldridge and Michael J. Harper (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
The authors' PowerPoint presentation.

Discussant: John Haltiwanger
The discussant's PowerPoint presentation.

2:15 – 2:30

Break

2:30 – 4:15

Session 4: Offshoring and Price Measurement: Industry Case Studies

         

         

Chair: Jon Steinsson (Columbia University)

"Offshoring and Price Measurement in the Semiconductor Industry," David Byrne (Federal Reserve Board), Brian N. Kovak (University of Michigan), and Ryan Michaels (University of Michigan)
The authors' PowerPoint presentation.
"Measuring IT Software and Services: Implications for Real Trade Flows," Catherine L. Mann (Brandeis University and Peterson Institute for International Economics)
The author's PowerPoint presentation.
"Imports of Intermediate Parts in the Auto Industry—A Case Study," Thomas H. Klier (Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago) and James M. Rubenstein (University of Miami, Ohio)
The authors' PowerPoint presentation.

Discussant: Kimberly Zieschang (IMF)

4:15 – 4:30

Announcements and Adjournment

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7

7:30 – 8:00
8:00 – 8:15

Continental Breakfast
Opening Remarks

8:15 – 9:30

Session 5: Measurement of Import Prices

         

    

Chair: Michael Horrigan (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

"Bias in the Import Price Index Due to Outsourcing: Can It Be Measured?," W. Erwin Diewert (University of British Columbia) and Alice O. Nakamura (University of Alberta)
The authors' PowerPoint presentation.
"Are there Unmeasured Declines in Prices of Imported Final Consumption Goods?" Marshall Reinsdorf and Robert Yuskavage (Bureau of Economic Analysis)
The authors' PowerPoint presentation.

Discussant: Barry Bosworth (Brookings Institution)
The discussant's PowerPoint presentation.

9:30 – 10:45

Session 6: Measurement of Import and Input Prices

         

         

Chair: Julia Lane (National Science Foundation)

"Offshoring Bias: The Effect of Import Price Mismeasurement on Manufacturing Productivity," Susan Houseman (Upjohn Institute), Christopher Kurz (Federal Reserve Board), Paul Lengermann (Federal Reserve Board), and Benjamin Mandel (Federal Reserve Board)
The authors' PowerPoint presentation.
"Producing an Input Price Index," William Alterman (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
The author's PowerPoint presentation.

Discussant: Emi Nakamura (Columbia University)
The discussant's PowerPoint presentation.

10:45 – 11:00

Break

11:00 – 12:15

Session 7: Measurement of Import Prices and Import Uses: Evidence of Biases

         

         

Chair: Carol Corrado (Conference Board)

"Imported Inputs and Industry Contributions to Economic Growth: An Assessment of Alternative Approaches," Erich H. Strassner, Robert E. Yuskavage, and Jennifer Lee (Bureau of Economic Analysis)
The authors' PowerPoint presentation.
"Evaluating Estimates of Materials Offshoring from U.S. Manufacturing," Robert C. Feenstra (University of California-Davis) and J. Bradford Jensen (Georgetown University and Peterson Institute for International Economics)
The authors' PowerPoint presentation.

Discussant: William Milberg (New School for Social Research)
Background paper: "Errors from the 'Proportionality Assumption' in the Measurement of Offshoring: Application to German Labor Demand," Deborah Winkler and William Milberg

12:15 – 2:15

Lunch and Panel Discussion: Prioritizing Steps for the Statistical Agencies

         

         

Chair: Susan Houseman (Upjohn Institute)

Panel members: Katharine Abraham (University of Maryland), Erwin Diewert (University of British Columbia), Keith Hall (Bureau of Labor Statistics), and Steven Landefeld (Bureau of Economic Analysis)

2:15 – 2:30

Concluding Comments and Adjournment

         

         

Susan Houseman and Kenneth Ryder

*This conference was funded with grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.