Free markets are a core principle of libertarianism, and data are a central element to furthering economic freedom.

Accurate data are essential to researchers of all philosophies—liberal, conservative, and libertarian—and all researchers must rely on objective facts as a baseline to inform policy and have legitimate debate in the marketplace of ideas.

For better or worse, the federal government is currently one of the main sources of economic data, and users must be able to rely on the objectivity of its data.

Given recent events, is there a legitimate reason to rethink how government data are compiled? What is the role of private institutions? Are there changes that could be implemented to better serve the researchers who utilize the data most? William Beach and Erica Groshen, former heads of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Norbert Michel, vice president and director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, will address these questions.