Fiscal Responsibility

Chris Swann - Page 1

"I am undaunted in the kitchen, I will try anything," says Chris Swann, an economist and writer for the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) in Washington, DC. "I follow recipes that I don't know but once you do it a couple times, then you add a little of this. That's what I like about cooking; I'm free to do whatever I want."

After a long career in the private sector, Chris decided to ply his trade for the Bureau of Economic Analysis, an analytical arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce. When in the kitchen he is free to do what he wants; it can be a different story at the office. His monthly article, called "GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and the Economy," must be delivered in a non-biased, non-partisan way. "And it really is remarkable how we can do that," says Chris. "You have to be very careful about the words you pick."

Any concern he had transitioning from the private to the public sector was short lived. "Over the last several years, BEA has made strides toward innovation in how we communicate with the public and how we present our products." Noting that he had used the word "products," a private sector term, Chris laughs, "I still carry my private sector mentality with me and no one has thrown me out."

"What I do principally revolves around writing an article for our monthly journal, The Survey of Current Business. To me, content management is just what we did in the private sector. We were in the information business and that's exactly the business we are in at BEA." There is a long tradition in this journal that goes back decades. "It encompasses all of the important analyses that BEA has done over the course of some time but mainly presented in the course of a month," says Chris. "My article is a broad summary of what the current economic data shows." His article, and much of the survey itself, has been subject to much modification because the readership has changed. "Not many have time to read long paragraphs and decipher arcane terminology. So BEA has tried to respond to that market change. Sure, there are traditional economists who read it. I bet Alan Greenspan reads it still. But the new sort of reader is not the economist. They are probably involved in making decisions or providing information to decision makers. We've tried to make the article an easier read with a short overview to results and reduced table reading."

Chris's monthly article, "GDP and the Economy," is the result of many people working hard. "I have a great job and I'll tell you what, I work with a lot of smart people. They work on these numbers, comb through these articles and get the numbers and language right. I'm honored to have my name on the article but there are a lot of people who look at this thing."

Continue >>

Article:
  Harry Zeeve: Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3
  David Walker: Page 1 - Page 2
  Alison Acosta Fraser: Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3
  Belle Sawhill: Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3
  Chris Swann: Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3
  Carl Tannenbaum: Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3

Recipes:   Lemon Chicken | Rachel's Omelet | Corn Pudding | Marinated Filet Mignon | Asian Pork Tenderloin and Coconut Jasmine Rice | Grilled Chicken Breasts | Steak au Poivre | Pretzel Salad | End of Spring Beef Stew | Chicken Tarragon | Roasted Sweet Potatoes | No Bowl Cake | Chris and Aunt Mary's Stromboli | Aunt Pat's Pizza Meat | Cracchiola Family Sauce | Chris's Baked Ziti | Aunt Eleanor's Spedini | Post-Thanksgiving Gumbo | Singapore Rice Noodles | Red Chili and Orange Barbecue Sauce | Tandoori-style Grilled Chicken