Brookings authors Rekha Balu and William J. Congdon explain why the federal statistical system must evolve to measure artificial intelligence, occupational change, household inflation, income mobility, wealth, and emerging assets. Their analysis also identifies opportunities and governance obligations for federal contractors supporting data modernization, analytics, and public measurement.

Dr. Stefaan Verhulst’s article on non-traditional data shows why federal contractors must treat data reuse as a governance issue. As agencies combine surveys, administrative records, commercial data, AI, and analytics, contractors must address bias, privacy, transparency, continuity, and public trust.

An academic summary of “Governing through guesstimates,” explaining why international organisations present uncertain data with “mock precision,” why this persists, and why it matters to U.S. federal contractors. Learn how IO-sourced numbers shape policies, compliance, and risk—and how to respond with due diligence, sensitivity analyses, and defensible program design.