ASPA Center for Accountability & Performance

Performance Reporting Reimagined

U.S. Office of Management and Budget

Current federal agency performance reports are on the web, but tend to be complex and hard to navigate. OMB staff are piloting a way of reimagining this information. Here’s a link to a digital prototype.

Piloting a Federal Evaluation Approach for Cross-Agency Initiatives: A Test Case

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Asst. Sec. for Program Evaluation

HHS has engaged staff from across the Department to develop and test an approach for evaluating initiatives that involve multiple divisions, address the needs of a diversity of communities, and include varied approaches. Their test case looks at Overdose Prevention initiatives.

Does Program Evaluation Make a Difference in Policy Spending?

London School of Economics (Michelle Rao)

This is an intriguing paper that examines the relationship between program evaluations and changes in policy spending in a series of Latin American cash transfer programs. The author examined 128 program evaluations of these programs and concludes, “I find zero relationship between research results and spending.”

Resource of the Week:  Symposium on the Government Performance and Results Act at 30

International Journal of Public Administration

The symposium on GPRA is finally finished! Here’s a link to the table of contents and abstracts for each article. The full articles, however, are pay-walled.

Rx for Performance Pitfalls

Barrett & Greene

Performance management comes with a passel of challenges and pitfalls. But here are 11 prescriptions for dealing with these pitfalls. Item #1? – “acknowledge that performance management systems are an integral part of government – like budgeting or procurement – and not just an adjunct effort.”

Evidence-Based Budgeting Guide for States

Results for America

State governments invest over $1 trillion each year to meet the needs of vulnerable populations. But those taxpayer dollars don’t always produce the desired outcomes. IFortunately, there are an increasing number of evidence-based solutions that can deliver results for all Americans, and with the right tools and budgeting systems state government leaders can invest in these solutions and harness the power of their states’ spending.

Re-Branding Training from “Learning” to “Performance”

PA Times (Bill Brantley)

Rebranding Learning and Development Training as the Performance Department highlights that training should enhance productivity, improve services and advance the agency’s mission.

Resource of the Week:  Virginia’s Office of Data Governance and Analytics

This one-stop provides links to agency data sets and showcases analytic success stories. This office provides technical assistance to state agencies, local governments, and regional entities to promote data sharing and analytics.

Measuring Progress: 2024 Survey of Federal Evaluation Officers

Data Foundation

This online survey for evaluation officials was conducted in March and April of 2024, asking questions about experiences related to the implementation of the Evidence Act. The findings indicate substantial progress since officials were initially surveyed in 2021.

Creating a Culture of Performance

National Academy of Public Administration (32:56 minutes)

In a podcast, Academy Fellow Jonathan Wormer, Director of Rhode Island’s Department of Administration, talks about performance management and measurement at the state level, and their role in creating an effective government.