In this paper I discuss the increasingly prominent role of administrative micro data in macroeconomics research. This type of data proved important for interpreting the causes and consequences of the Great Recession, and it has played a crucial role in shaping economists’ understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic in near real-time. I discuss a number of specific insights from this research while also illustrating some of the broader opportunities and challenges of working with administrative data.

中文翻译：

---

实时跟踪大流行：商业周期中的行政微观数据成为焦点

在本文中，我讨论了行政微观数据在宏观经济学研究中日益突出的作用。事实证明，这类数据对于解释大萧条的原因和后果很重要，并且在影响经济学家近乎实时地理解 COVID-19 大流行方面发挥了至关重要的作用。我讨论了这项研究的一些具体见解，同时也说明了使用管理数据的一些更广泛的机遇和挑战。