Author Archives: Patrick Lester

House Holds Hearing on Social Impact Bonds

Legislation that would provide additional federal support for social impact bonds (SIBs) took a tentative step forward today when a House subcommittee held a hearing focused on their potential benefits and tradeoffs. The bill being considered, the Social Impact Bond … Continue reading

Posted in Social Impact Bonds / Pay for Success

Education Data Privacy in the States: 2014 Update

The Data Quality Campaign has just released a report (and associated blog post) on the status of state efforts to address education data privacy. Since most states have part-time legislatures whose legislative sessions are over by now, the report provides … Continue reading

Posted in Data, Education

Is State Performance-based Budgeting Making a Comeback?

According to a story from The Pew Charitable Trusts, performance-based budgeting is making a comeback in state government, but with mixed results so far. According to the story: [The National Association of State Budget Officers] concluded in its 2014 paper … Continue reading

Posted in Government Performance

Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Evidence Base Grows, New Social Impact Bond in DC

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that it has added four new programs to the list of evidence-based models evaluated by its Teen Pregnancy Prevention Evidence Review, bring the total number of effective programs on its … Continue reading

Posted in Children and Families, Social Impact Bonds / Pay for Success

ACF Releases Confidentiality Toolkit

The Administration for Children and Families has released a Confidentiality Toolkit to help human services providers navigate the confidentiality and data security requirements of a number of federal programs. The report is a product of the agency’s broader Interoperability Initiative, … Continue reading

Posted in Children and Families, Data

Early Results of Peterborough Social Impact Bond Experiment Spark Debate

The initial results of an internationally known experiment with social impact bonds being conducted in Peterborough, England are being hotly debated by critics and supporters who disagree over how successful it has been. The program was originally intended to reduce … Continue reading

Posted in Social Impact Bonds / Pay for Success

SIF Releases Program Evaluation Guidance

The Social Innovation Fund (SIF) has released a new guide for program evaluation. The guide summarizes program theory, logic models, impact evaluation (and their related costs), evaluator qualifications, and human subject protection, among other topics. It also includes links to … Continue reading

Posted in Performance Management, Social Innovation Fund

Social Impact Bond Bills Introduced in Congress

Two bills with bipartisan sponsorship have been introduced in Congress to expand social impact bonds. In the House, Reps. Todd Young (R-IN) and John Delaney (D-MD) introduced the Social Impact Bond Act (H.R. 4885) on June 18. A companion bill, … Continue reading

Posted in Social Impact Bonds / Pay for Success

Performance and Outcomes in the Ryan Anti-poverty Plan

On July 24, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) gave a major speech on poverty that may foreshadow his party’s thinking if Republicans retake the White House in 2016. The speech was accompanied by the release of a 73-page plan, which he … Continue reading

Posted in Government Performance, Politics