Conference on Budget Analysis and Public Policy
Event Details:
Location
John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Building
366 Galvez Street
Stanford, CA 94305
United States
The Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) is excited to host a workshop on Budget Analysis and Public Policy.
This workshop -- with a schedule co-organized by Jeffrey Kling (CBO), Neale Mahoney (Stanford/SIEPR), Valerie Ramey (Hoover), and Heidi Williams (Dartmouth) -- aims to bring together a diverse group of outside researchers to engage with and provide feedback to a team of around 20 economists and policy analysts from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), focused on financial analysis-related topics of active Congressional interest including student loans, federal mortgage guarantees, and spectrum auctions.
Schedule
Monday, August 10, 2026
- 12:30pm - 1:00pm PDT
Registration and Lunch
- 1:00pm - 1:15pm PDT
Introduction
Greg Rosston, Director of Public Policy Program and Gordon Cain Senior Fellow, SIEPR
Jeffrey Kling, Research Director, CBO
- 1:15pm - 2:30pm PDT
Discount Rates
- 1:15-2:15pm: Josh Rauh, Stanford University
- 2:15-2:30pm: Group discussion
- 2:30pm - 3:00pm PDT
Break
- 3:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Projecting the Cost of Student Loans in Income Driven Repayment Plans
- 3:00-4:00pm: CBO staff presentation - Nadia Karamcheva, Kristy Kim, Leah Koestner
- 4:00-4:15pm: Outside discussant #1 - Tim de Silva, Stanford University
- 4:15-4:30pm: Outside discussant #2 - Lesley Turner, University of Chicago
- 4:30-5:00pm: Group discussion
- 5:00pm - 5:30pm PDT
Break
- 5:30pm - 7:00pm PDT
Working Dinner
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
- 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
Working Breakfast
- 9:00am - 11:00am PDT
The Cost of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s Mortgage Guarantees
- 9-10am: CBO staff presentation - Mike Falkenheim, Mitch Remy, Zunara Naeem
- 10-10:15am: Outside discussant #1 - Andy Davidson, Andrew Davidson & Co.
- 10:15-10:30am: Outside discussant #2 - Ben Keys, University of Pennsylvania
- 10:30-11am: Group discussion
- 11:00am - 11:30am PDT
Break
- 11:30am - 1:00pm PDT
Working Lunch
- 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Break
- 2:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Outside presentation by Gary Libecap, UC Santa Barbara - The Federal Lands: Property Rights vs. Rent Seeking, Origins, Outcomes, and Options for Change
- 2-3pm: Presentation: Gary Libecap, UC Santa Barbara
- 3-3:15pm: Outside discussant #1 - Eric Biber, UC Berkeley School of Law
- 3:15-3:30pm: Outside discussant #2 - Jeff Clemens, UC San Diego
- 3:30-4pm: Group discussion
- 4:00pm - 5:30pm PDT
Break
- 5:30pm - 7:00pm PDT
Working Dinner
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
- 8:00am - 8:30am PDT
Working Breakfast
- 8:30am - 10:30am PDT
Modeling Spectrum Auction Receipts
- 8:30-9:30am: CBO staff presentation: Sam Papenfuss, Alaina Rhee
- 9:30-9:45am: Outside discussant #1 - Coleman Bazelon, Brattle
- 9:45-10:00am: Outside discussant #2 - Greg Rosston, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR)
- 10:00-10:30am: Group discussion
- 10:30am - 11:00am PDT
Break
- 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
An Auction to Transform Property Rights: the Case of the Great Salt Lake
- Paul Milgrom, Stanford University
- 12:30pm - 2:00pm PDT
Working Lunch
- 2:00pm - 2:30pm PDT
Break
- 2:30pm - 4:30pm PDT
Concluding Session: Digital Assets and Novel Payment Systems
Three 30-minute segments. A lead speaker (12-15 minutes) in each segment, followed by a moderated open discussion.
Panelists:
- Dan Awrey, Cornell Law School
- Rod Garratt, UC Santa Barbara
- Haoxiang Zhu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Moderated by: Darrell Duffie, Stanford University
- 4:30pm - 4:45pm PDT
Closing Remarks
Neale Mahoney, Trione Director of SIEPR and Professor of Economics
- 4:45pm - 6:30pm PDT
Break
- 6:30pm - 8:00pm PDT
Working Dinner
Thursday, August 13, 2026
- 9:00am - 10:00am PDT
Workshop debrief [CBO staff only]
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