ASPA Center for Accountability & Performance

Damage to Federal Policy Research & Evaluation

Roosevelt Institute

A small but crucial industry has developed to ensure policymakers understand the likely impacts of their proposals, the costs associated with implementing them, and the trade-offs they face. But right now the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is canceling contracts and closing offices, leading to mass layoffs of evaluation scholars.

The Right Way to Make Data-Driven Decisions

Harvard Business Review (Podcast 28:49 minutes)

Fueled by the promise of concrete insights, organizations are increasingly prioritizing data in their decision-making processes. But that process can easily go wrong. Many leaders don’t understand that their decisions are only as good as how they interpret the data. This episode shares a framework for making better decisions by interpreting data more effectively.

The UK Performance Tracker: Inside the England & Wales Prison Crisis

Institute for Government

This first in a series of reports on local public service performance in the UK combines statistical analysis of published data and interviews on the systemic problems in UK prisons. However, some stand out as high performers and offer examples of successful prisons that can deliver rapid improvements.

Resource of the Week:  No Spin Evidence Review

Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy

We systematically monitor the literature of all rigorous program evaluations . . . We select studies to summarize and report on based on factors such as policy importance, study duration (i.e., whether the study measured more than just short-term effects), publication in a leading journal, and level of press or policy attention.

Outcome-Driven Legislation: Updating the Policy Process

Popvox Foundation

Outcomes-Driven Legislation (ODL) or Outcomes-Driven Policy (ODP) is a new approach to policymaking that focuses on establishing clear goals or outcomes for policy interventions, rather than dictating specific solutions or implementation methods. To ensure the effectiveness of an ODL/ODP policy, standardized metrics of program effectiveness are established and constantly updated. 

Resource of the Week:  Education Recovery Scorecard

Stanford/Harvard Universities

Researchers at Stanford and Harvard Universities teamed up to measure and compare K-12 learning loss and ensuing recovery at the district level across the country after the pandemic. With data from 11,000 districts, the interactive maps and corresponding data on this site provide insight on trends in academic achievement and chronic absenteeism. (H/T to Barrett & Greene).

New Civil Service Performance Management Rules

UK Institute for Government

The British government has published an updated version of the Performance management framework for the Senior Civil Service. The government briefed that top civil servants could “face the sack if they fail to find savings”, and the new rules do nudge in that direction. More welcome, however, is the revised framework’s potential to raise the floor on performance management across the civil service.

Resource of the Week:  What Works Cities Certification

Bloomberg Philanthropies

Well-managed cities use data to equitably deliver services and solve problems. The What Works Cities Certification program, launched by Bloomberg Philanthropies and led by Results for America, is the standard of excellence for data-driven, well-managed local government.

Ranking Results Distracts Users from Underlying Performance Info

Public Management Review

“Performance information is often presented in a ranked format. Rankings aggregate a multitude of performance dimensions into an overall score. Simultaneously, rankings may constrain cognitive processing of performance information because they distract users’ attention away from the information underlying the ranking calculation.”

States Creating Their Own DOGE Units

Governing

GOP governors and lawmakers have set up their own government efficiency task forces and committees to find ways to cut state spending.

Strategic Planning for Small Communities (YouTube video 55:10 minutes)

National Center for Public Performance/Suffolk University 

Dr. Stephanie Davis (Virginia Tech) teaches us to create effective strategies tailored to the unique needs of small communities. With over 20 years of experience in local government, Stephanie walks us through practical steps to drive meaningful progress where it matters most.  

Performance and Accountability Issues Under Trump II

DC Journal (David Walker)

“DOGE should draw upon the extensive work of the GAO, inspector generals, the Congressional Budget Office, the Joint Committee on Taxation, think tanks, members of Congress, and others for opportunities to reduce fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement.”

Resource of the Week:  Field Guide for Financing Integrated Data Systems and Evaluation

National Academy of Public Administration

This field guide offers state, local, tribal, and territorial governments practical strategies for building and sustaining integrated data systems, a critical tool for advancing and elevating evidence-based policymaking.