Author Archives: Patrick Lester

Congress Passes Evidence-based Policymaking Commission Bill

The House today approved legislation (H.R. 1831) that would create an Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission charged with making recommendations to Congress and the administration on the use of evaluations and administrative data for assessing federal programs and tax expenditures. The bill, … Continue reading

Posted in Evidence

Hidden In the Partisan Budget Divide: An Agreement on Evidence-based Policy

Presidential budgets are often greeted with little enthusiasm when Congress is controlled by the opposite party. This year’s Obama budget is no exception. But buried within the president’s $4.15 trillion budget are recommendations on evidence-based policymaking that may prove more … Continue reading

Posted in Evidence

Senate Committee Passes Health IT Improvement Bill

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee passed legislation (S.2511) on February 9 that would address a number of shortcomings in federal law governing electronic health records (EHRs). The committee passed the bill unanimously by a vote of … Continue reading

Posted in Health

Building Performance Systems in Child Welfare

The Social Innovation Research Center has today released a new report: Building Performance Systems in Child Welfare Lessons from Performance-based Contracting, Performance Management, and the Emergence of Social Impact Bonds (February 8, 2016) The executive summary is below. Executive Summary … Continue reading

Posted in Children and Families

The Emerging Flight Deck of Pay for Success

With authorizing legislation that would extend the concept now stalled in Congress, the Obama administration appears to be following an alternate path to supporting the small but growing model of performance-based government called pay for success. Like performance-based contracting, pay-for-success … Continue reading

Posted in Social Impact Bonds / Pay for Success

Pending Child Welfare Legislation Would Boost Funding for Evidence-based Services

Child welfare services that are evidence-based may see a significant jump in financial support under legislation that is being drafted by the Senate Finance Committee. A bipartisan bill that is now being assembled by Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ron … Continue reading

Posted in Children and Families

The Promise and Peril of an “Outcomes Mindset”

Late last year, the White House and a number of former Obama administration officials began rolling out an apparently coordinated campaign to promote an “outcomes mindset” for government and the social sector. Unfortunately, while this agenda includes many positive recommendations, … Continue reading

Posted in Social Impact Bonds / Pay for Success

SIF Funding Is Cut, i3 Level-funded in Budget Deal

Two Obama administration evidence-based programs whose funding had been targeted for elimination by congressional Republicans survived, although perhaps barely, in a final budget deal struck between Congress and the president Tuesday night.  The package is expected to be passed by … Continue reading

Posted in Education, Evidence, Social Innovation Fund

Top Social Innovation Reads of 2015

With the holidays fast approaching, here are SIRC’s “Top Social Innovation Reads of 2015.”   Happy holidays everyone! Evidence Robert Granger and Rebecca Maynard, Unlocking the Potential of the “What Works” Approach to Policymaking and Practice: Improving Impact Evaluations (December 2015) … Continue reading

Posted in Government Performance