In the midst of partisan rancor over impeachment, the possibility of war, and low public trust in government, a bright spot may surprise you: An increasing number of federal agencies are quietly improving the way agencies deliver better results for the American people.
A year ago today, President Trump signed the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, bipartisan legislation championed by an unlikely duo, then-House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. Better known as the Evidence Act, it tasked 24 large federal agencies with reviewing the vast amounts of program data they collect, safeguarding citizen’s private information, and better using the data to improve program effectiveness. The law also encourages agencies to adopt a “yes, unless” mentality to data sharing: allowing, whenever possible, qualified researchers and others to access data to help agencies determine what works.
One year later, those agencies are moving the ball forward. Most have identified evaluation officers and chief data officers and have started developing learning agendas that identify priority areas for evaluation and evidence building. The goal of these efforts is to increase the return on investment of spending and strengthen a culture of learning and improvement.
It’s challenging work, since this area is relatively new for many agencies. To help, the Office of Management and Budget released guidance to inform agency efforts. Importantly, civil servants are treating the law like an opportunity to meaningfully improve results rather than a check-the-box compliance exercise to meet the law’s requirements.
An important resource is the set of leading agencies that are most advanced in terms of building and using evidence. Nine are highlighted in Results for Ame ..
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