To Budget for Equity, Cities First Must Define Equity

Route Fifty (Anjali Chainani)

Without a clear and shared definition of equity, city leaders cannot understand the underlying conditions that create existing disparities in their community, let alone make informed budget decisions that foster equity. No one-size-fits-all definition of equity exists.

The Evidence Checklist: how to make sure your evidence is high-quality

Apolitical

It’s vital that you check whether the evidence you’re using is trustworthy, timely and reliable. To help you do this we have put together a checklist to help you identify if evidence is worth your time or worthless.

‘Evidence’ Is the Word of the Year. Neither Party Owns It

Roll Call (Ted McCann and Nick Hart)

There is more bipartisanship in Congress than most acknowledge, and no matter what they say, neither party has a monopoly on evidence. . . .A movement is underway to use better information to guide key decisions. This, in turn, yields a clearer picture of whether important programs achieve their goals and improve people’s lives.

National Science Foundation by the Numbers: New Beta Website

Provides statistical and funding information for awards, NSF-funded institutions, funding rate, proposals evaluated, and obligations by fiscal year. Great example of agency-level open data.

Biden Administration Makes Climate Information and Decision Tools More Accessible

White House

The administration has launched a whole-of-government initiative to deliver accessible and actionable information to individuals and communities that are being hit by flooding, drought, wildfires, extreme heat, coastal erosion, and other intensifying climate impacts. This effort will put authoritative and useful information into the hands of more Americans.

CAP-Sponsored Webinar: Implementing the $350 Billion Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund

(Wednesday, October 20, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Eastern)

This panel of leaders on the front line of implementing this program will discuss key issues from federal, state, and local perspectives – such as allocation decisions, the role of citizen input, and reporting requirements — with special attention to performance and accountability issues.

New Book: Data Science for Social Good: Philanthropy and Social Impact in a Complex World

Springer Publishers (Massimo Lapucci and Ciro Cattuto, Eds.)

A collection of essays by thought leaders in the fields of computer science, complex systems, and computational social science who examine performance-related challenges in areas such as humanitarian response, public health, and sustainable development.

Resource of the Week: Andy Feldman’s Gov Innovator

The motivation behind the Gov Innovator podcast is the crucial role that public management — and, in particular, results-focused leadership — play in addressing our nation’s important challenges. The goal of the podcast is to share useful practices and insights related to evidence, data, innovation and leadership. To date, he has recorded 190 interviews.