The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) is a private, nonpartisan organization that facilitates innovative investigation and analysis of major economic issues. It disseminates research findings to academics, government and business decision-makers, and the public by posting more than 1,200 working papers, publishing about ten books, and convening more than 150 scholarly conferences each year. The NBER does not take policy positions or engage in advocacy.
The NBER supports economic research by administering research grants that its affiliated researchers receive from government and private funders, by organizing research projects on emerging economic issues, and by maintaining an archive of more than 250 data sets for public use.
The NBER, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a network of more than 1,900 academic economists at over 180 North American colleges and universities. These researchers are leading contributors to the field. Fifty-two current or former NBER affiliates or board members are Nobel laureates.
Many NBER research affiliates are tapped for government service and thereby have an opportunity to use their analytical skills in the design of public policy. Sixteen NBER affiliates have chaired the Council of Economic Advisers. Two past chairs of the Federal Reserve Board and many Federal Reserve governors were NBER affiliates prior to their service.
Conducting and Communicating Research
NBER research spans a wide range of issues. Recent projects have studied the economic impact of AI and automation, the economics of infrastructure, long-term investing principles for endowments and pension funds, wage and employment dynamics in the 21st century, supply chain risks, the taxation of business income, and the challenges of economic measurement in the digital economy.
The NBER circulates new research findings by affiliated researchers in the NBER working paper series. Approximately 25 new papers are posted each week. These papers, circulated prior to the lengthy peer-review process, report both empirical and theoretical findings. There were more than 2.5 million downloads of NBER working papers in 2025. Working paper authors must disclose any financial or other interests that might bear on their research.
The Digest presents non-technical summaries of six recent working papers each month. The quarterly NBER Reporter provides longer descriptions of research carried out by affiliated scholars.
Most NBER research conferences are live streamed on YouTube, where the NBER channel has more than 24,000 followers. Videos are available for several weeks after each meeting.
Affiliated Researchers and Organizational Structure
NBER affiliates are selected after a highly competitive nomination process with review by leading scholars. About 60 new affiliates are selected annually from a pool of more than 350 nominees.
The NBER board of directors includes representatives of research universities, professional associations such as the American Economic Association and the National Association for Business Economics, and leaders from the business and labor communities. The NBER’s president and chief executive officer, MIT professor James Poterba, leads a staff of 45.
The NBER is supported by government and private foundation grants, contributions from corporations and individuals, subscription sales, and portfolio income.
The Role of Corporate Associates
Unrestricted corporate support, which has always been a key NBER resource, is especially important today, a time of great uncertainty regarding federal research funding. This support has been crucial in allowing NBER researchers to respond to emerging economic issues, such as the impact of disruptions in global energy markets and the COVID-19 pandemic, and in enabling early-career scholars who have not yet secured other sources of research support to participate in NBER activities.
Corporate Associates receive paywall-free access to all NBER working papers, as well as subscriptions to NBER periodicals that summarize important research findings. Besides The Digest and Reporter, these include specialized summaries such as the Bulletin on Entrepreneurship and the Bulletin on the Economics of Alzheimer's Disease.
The NBER invites Corporate Associates to send delegates to the annual Corporate Associates Research Symposium, where NBER-affiliated scholars present their latest research and discuss its implications. The next Symposium will take place on Tuesday, April 20, 2027, in mid-town Manhattan. The NBER also convenes receptions for corporate associates at two National Association for Business Economics (NABE) meetings each year, the Annual Meeting and NABE TEC. Corporate Associates provide annual support of $25,000 to advance the NBER’s research and dissemination mission.
For information on becoming a Corporate Associate, please contact Research and Corporate Relations Administrator, Abigail Murphy.