Economic Analysis

Sunrise over rugged prairie with a river winding through the landscape and flowers blooming

The Office of Policy Analysis (PPA) supports analysis of the economic effects of natural resource policies and regulations, and the relationship between the economy, environment, natural resource use, and management, for the Department of the Interior. This is especially true for issues that cross Interior bureau lines of responsibility and have interagency or intergovernmental implications.

The DOI Chief Economist is located in PPA and leads the economics team. The team provides high-quality, objective, qualitative and quantitative analysis, data visualization, survey design and data collection methods, review, writing, and presentations on economics  and statistical matters. Our efforts are often conducted in multi-disciplinary settings and encompass the breadth of Interior's portfolio. Economists in PPA bring a wealth of experience and education to help Interior address a full range of complex policy-relevant economic issues. The economics team provides leadership and routinely works with economists in Interior's bureaus and with other Federal agencies.

The PPA economics team's experience spans five presidential administrations, and includes specialized training in natural resource and environmental economics, economic modeling, benefit-cost analysis, econometrics, policy analysis, business, accounting, political science, sociology, and international affairs. PPA economists provide a wide range of perspectives developed through experience with an array of Federal, private, academic, and international settings. 

Key areas of engagement by the Office's economists include:

  • DOI Economics Community of Practice
  • Paperwork Reduction Act
  • Strengthening the Access and Use of Data and Evidence
  • Economic Impact and Contributions Analysis
  • Regulatory Analysis
  • Support for DOI's role in Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration
  • Supporfor DOI's role in Insular Areas
  • Support for DOI's role in Indian Country
  • Revenue and expenditure forecasting
  • Natural Capital Accounting
  • Wildland fire economics

Banner photo: The Department of the Interior's lands and waters like those at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota provide value, including economic value, to the Nation. Credit: National Park Service, public domain.

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