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As the nation again faces the risk of a government shutdown, media have been turning to political science professor Roy Meyers’ research on past shutdowns to understand what is at stake.

In 1996, the Office of Management and Budget reported that the two major shutdowns of the decade cost approximately $1.4 billion ($2 billion in today’s dollars), but Meyers has suggested that estimate didn’t account for several factors, such as the lost value of work that wasn’t done, $300 million federal parks would have taken in if they had remained open, and the reduced pace of IRS audits. Inefficiencies and bottlenecks develop when large parts of the workforce are furloughed, adding to the cost of a shutdown. Also, Meyers notes, contractors might start charging the government a premium after shutdowns to compensate for the uncertainty of their payments.

Meyers’ work in this area appears in reporting and analysis on the possible shutdown in USA Today, on the Washington Post Wonkblog and New York Times Economix blog, and on the Center for Effective Government website. Additional interviews with NPR and NBC news will be available soon.

Update: Coverage of the risk of government shutdown, linking to Meyers’ research, also appeared on the Washington Post Federal Eye blog.