Previous articleNext article FreeAcknowledgmentsPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreFor 29 years, the National Bureau of Economic Research has sponsored the Tax Policy and Economy conference in Washington, DC. Each year, NBER researchers bring rigorous research to bear on policy-relevant questions and disseminate their results to the economic policy community by presenting at this conference and publishing in this volume. In return, Washington-based economists and other participants in the policy process provide valuable insights to the academic researchers, not only about the research itself, but also about the political economy environment in which policies are proposed, evaluated, and implemented.This valuable interaction is made possible by the hard work of many individuals. Carl Beck, Lita Kimble, and especially Rob Shannon once again provided truly professional handling of all conference planning and logistics. They truly are the dream team for any conference organizer. Helena Fitzpatrick provided expert guidance through the publication process. And, of course, our NBER President Jim Poterba has been a strong supporter of this conference for more than two decades, and this year was no exception. I also thank the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation for its continued financial support.I am especially grateful to the authors, whose research is the raison d’être for this conference. Collectively, the authors spend hundreds of hours producing research that helps to inform some of the most consequential policy discussions of our time. Equally important are the many individuals in the Washington policy community who actively participate in the conference with probing questions and comments, and who incorporate the research lessons into their important roles in the policy process.A highlight of each year’s conference is the keynote speaker. This year, we were honored to have Jim Stock of Harvard University and the NBER, who had just recently returned to academia after serving on President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers. His discussion focused on the sources and implications of long-term trends in GDP growth. A particularly remarkable feature of the data he shared is the decline in GDP growth rates (not just levels) following recessions, a finding that is important for understanding the slow recovery from the Great Recession as well as expectations about future growth. I am grateful that Jim was willing to accept our invitation for the second year in a row: his 2013 keynote was cancelled due to the untimely government shutdown and the limitations that this placed on government officials. His presentation, which was packed with substance and rigor, was well worth the wait. Previous articleNext article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Tax Policy and the Economy Volume 29, Number 12015 Sponsored by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/683361 © 2015 by the National Bureau of Economic Research. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.