The Census Bureau's Conference on the Measurement of Noncash Benefits

GAO discussed its assessment of a Census Bureau conference on the measurement of noncash benefits, focusing on: (1) issues discussed at the conference; (2) the adequacy of technical papers given at the conference; (3) areas requiring further study; and (4) important issues not raised at the conference. GAO noted that issues raised at the conference included: (1) concerns about the Bureau's methods for measuring noncash benefits; (2) potential solutions to existing problems; (3) measurement principles; and (4) directions for future research. Concerns about the Bureau's methods are mainly directed at its calculation of the value of noncash benefits and the impact of that calculation on estimates of poverty and income trends, and conference participants proposed a number of potential improvements to the Bureau's methodology. GAO also noted that: (1) it was not able to assess the adequacy of papers given at the conference because most of the papers did not include systematic literature reviews or substantial empirical work; (2) the breadth of opinions expressed in conference discussions may not have been representative; (3) it appeared that there was substantial disagreement over many of the suggestions raised; and (4) input from the conference alone is not sufficient to provide policy guidance on how to measure noncash benefits and poverty trends.