Social Innovation Research Center

Driving Results in Cities Could Influence Federal Performance Efforts

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Patrick Lester

Federal efforts to increase the use of data in performance management and evaluation may soon cross paths with a parallel effort at the city level. What Works Cities, a new $42 million, three-year initiative launched by Bloomberg Philanthropies in April, will be helping 100 mid-sized cities build out their data capabilities, but its reach may extend to the federal level, too.

One of the principal barriers to better federal agency performance is the federal system itself. The work of the largest federal programs is often done by states and local governments. Cities in particular are responsible for a vast range of issues, including education, housing, transportation, law enforcement, and many others.

Unfortunately, many of those on the front lines need help to make the most of their data. The new Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative has placed a bull’s-eye on this problem.

Continue reading SIRC’s column at Government Executive magazine.

Posted in Government Performance

House Panel Approves Evidence-based Policymaking Commission Bill

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Patrick Lester

The House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform today approved a bill (H.R. 1831) introduced by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) that would establish a bipartisan commission to make recommendations to Congress and the president on how best to expand the use of data to evaluate the effectiveness of federal programs and tax expenditures. The bill was adopted by voice vote.

“I’m glad the committee has approved the bill, and now I’m going to work with my colleagues to pass it on the floor of the House,” said Ryan in a statement. As chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Ryan is well-positioned to ensure the bill receives full consideration.

A companion bill (S. 991) has also been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who has been playing a substantial role in other evidence-based efforts, including a bipartisan effort to update the No Child Left Behind Act.

“I am glad to see the House move forward in committee on this common-sense bill that will work to improve our understanding of what is working in federal programs and the tax code, and what needs to be fixed,” said Murray.

“I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this bill because improving how our government works shouldn’t be a partisan issue.”

Posted in Evidence

HUD Announces Eight New Promise Zones

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Patrick Lester

The Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced a second round of winners under the Obama administration’s Promise Zones initiative. Eight new Promise Zones were added to the five that were announced in January, 2014.

The new Promise Zones were chosen from among 123 applications. A third competition will be announced later this year.

According to HUD:

Promise Zones will not receive grant funding, but will benefit from technical assistance, coordinated federal staff support, and preferential access to certain existing federal funding streams. Promise Zone designations will have a term of ten years and may be extended as necessary to capture the full term of availability of the Promise Zone tax incentives if enacted by Congress. All federal resources are subject to statutory requirements and appropriations and therefore will change throughout the Promise Zone designation period.

The Obama administration has been publishing a steady stream of grant opportunities for the current Promise Zones. It is unclear whether Congress will approve the administration’s proposed tax incentives outside of a comprehensive tax reform package, which itself seems unlikely during the remaining two years of President Obama’s term in office.

The White House, Accelerating Economic Mobility Through Promise Zone Partnerships (April 28, 2015)
Promise Zone Tax Breaks May Not ‘Hold Water’ With Ryan (April 16, 2015)
HUD, HUD’s Sustainable Communities Initiative Launches New Resource Library (March 19, 2015)
Promise Zones: Round Two (September 20, 2014)

Posted in Collective Impact

Will Congressional Bipartisanship Pave the Way for Evidence-based Policy Changes?

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Patrick Lester

The New Republic is the latest news outlet to note that Congress has suddenly become more productive. The window of bipartisanship, however temporary, may pave the way for important advances in evidence-based policy.

In an article by Danny Vinik, the magazine partly credits Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who has been instrumental in several evidence-based initiatives, including in education and a bipartisan evidence commission proposal.

If you only casually follow politics, you probably don’t know much about Senator Patty Murray. She’s rarely on TV or in the headlines. She’s not inclined to tear into her Republican colleagues or give floor speeches that go viral, like Senator Elizabeth Warren does. But Murray has become one of the most important dealmakers in the Democratic Party.

In just the past month, she has teamed up with Republican Senator Lamar Alexander to reform No Child Left Behind and worked with Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn to pass a stalled human trafficking bill. She’s joined with Representative Paul Ryan to promote evidence-based policymaking, having developed a trusting relationship with him after the two reached a budget deal in 2013.

Why has Congress become more productive? The article suggests that with President Obama now in his final two years in office, both parties have incentives to show that they can govern.

Senate Democrats have an incentive to work with Republicans on a bill empowering Congress to vote on any final deal with Iran over its nuclear program. If Democrats filibustered the GOP legislation, Obama could complete the deal without any Congressional action. Republicans, due to their opposition to Eric Holder, had an incentive to confirm Loretta Lynch and thus negotiated over the anti-human trafficking bill.

In past years, Republican leadership would never have accepted legislation to end the need for a “doc fix” bill, which had required annual action to prevent huge cuts to Medicare providers (and added hundreds of billions to the deficit). But now in the majority, McConnell and company have an incentive to show that the Republican Party can govern. In other areas, like trade and possibly patent reform, Republican lawmakers can work with centrist Democrats to pass legislation that Harry Reid blocked as Senate majority leader.

When Murray talks about her deal-making, though, she doesn’t talk about political incentives aligning. She talks about people and trust.

Arnold Foundation Launches Evidence-Based Policy and Innovation Division

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Patrick Lester

The Laura and John Arnold Foundation today announced the creation of a new Evidence-Based Policy and Innovation division that will be headquartered in Washington, DC. The division will be led by Kathy Stack, a former OMB official who led its Office of Evidence and Innovation, and by Jon Baron, president of the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy.

According to a foundation statement:

The new LJAF division will focus on two closely related, key areas: evidence-based innovation and evidence-based policy. Ms. Stack, who will serve as Vice President of Evidence-Based Innovation, will bring policymakers, researchers, and data experts from the public and private sectors together to strengthen the infrastructure and processes needed to support evidence-based decision making. Efforts will expand access to data to answer important questions while protecting privacy. They will also promote the rigorous evaluation of public programs, new government and philanthropic funding models that emphasize the use of evidence, and strategic partnerships to accelerate progress.

In her new role at LJAF, Ms. Stack will build on the work of her distinguished career at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). She served under five presidents and was responsible for overseeing critical issues for a number of departments and major human services programs. While at OMB, Ms. Stack helped federal agencies design innovative funding mechanisms based on evidence and evaluation.

The Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy will also be moving to the Arnold Foundation, where Baron will be its new Vice President of Evidence-Based Policy. The changes are further explained in a note sent to the Coalition’s Board of Advisors. According to the statement:

The Coalition’s operations will be integrated into the Foundation, where our team will build on and expand our core activities, including working with policy officials to advance evidence-based reforms in government social spending, and conducting expert reviews of the evaluation literature to identify programs with credible evidence of effectiveness. The Coalition itself will cease to exist as an independent organization on or around April 30.

The creation of the new Washington office follows significant recent investments by the Arnold Foundation in pay-for-success efforts across the nation, including an $8.4 million grant to the Urban Institute last month.

The move drew immediate support from the White House. “The Obama administration has doubled down on efforts to advance the use of rigorous evidence to drive smart policy decisions and to scale what works,” said David Wilkinson, Director of the White House Office of Social Innovation.

“We are enthusiastic about the potential of this new LJAF office in Washington—and its distinguished leadership—to advance knowledge of what works and to give policymakers the tools they need to move the needle on our most pressing social challenges.”

Inside Philanthropy, May the Best Study Win: Will More Funding for Evidence-Based Policy Make a Difference? (April 27, 2015)
Inside Philanthropy, The Arnold Foundation is Betting Big On Pay for Success (March 19, 2015)
Laura and John Arnold Foundation, Laura and John Arnold Foundation Announces $8.4 Million Grant to Help Governments implement Pay for Success Projects (March 16, 2015)

Posted in Evidence, Philanthropy

Ryan, Murray Reintroduce Bipartisan Evidence-based Policymaking Commission Bill

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Patrick Lester

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) today reintroduced legislation (H.R. 1831 / S. 991) that would establish a bipartisan commission to make recommendations to Congress and the president on how best to expand the use of data to evaluate the effectiveness of federal programs and tax expenditures.

“If we want to make government more effective, we need to know what works,” said Ryan. “Too often, Washington rewards effort instead of results, and this commission will help us change the focus.”

“I am proud to stand with Representative Ryan to reintroduce this bill and I am looking forward to working with him and our colleagues in the House and Senate to get this done as soon as possible,” said Murray.

The bills will likely be referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs respectively.

According to a press statement:

Commission Established: The bill establishes a “Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking.” The Commission is charged with reviewing the inventory, infrastructure, and protocols related to data from federal programs and tax expenditures while developing recommendations for increasing the availability and use of this data in support of rigorous program evaluation.
Clearinghouse for Program and Survey Data: In the course of its review, the Commission is specifically required to evaluate the merits of and provide guidance for creating a “clearinghouse” for program and survey data. The clearinghouse would make available and facilitate the merging of datasets that are valuable in evaluating program effectiveness and informing domestic policymaking.
Privacy Rights: The Commission would also study how best to protect the privacy rights of people who interact with federal agencies and ensure confidentiality.
Commission Membership: The Commission is comprised of 15 members representing an array of disciplines relevant to program evaluation and data management, including economics, statistics, and data security. The Majority and Minority leaders in the Senate, and Speaker and Minority Leader in the House are authorized to appoint 3 members each, as is the President.
Federal Agency Assistance: The bill requires several agencies to provide assistance to the Commission including OMB, Census, and the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education and Justice.
Staff: The Commission is authorized to hire a Director (appointed by the Commission chair with the concurrence of the co-chair) and staff. The bill authorizes several federal agencies to provide up to a total of $3 million in funds to carry out the activities of the Commission.
Findings Due in 15 Months: The Commission’s findings and recommendations are due to Congress 15 months after the Commission reaches 8 members—a simple majority. The Commission ends 18 months after the date of enactment.

The bill text is here.

A similar set of bills was introduced in the House and Senate late last year (H.R. 5754 / S. 2952), but no action was taken before Congress adjourned. The only reported difference is that this year’s legislation does not direct the Census Bureau to contract with the National Academy of Public Administration to run the commission. The commission will be housed at the Census Bureau instead.

Federal News Radio, Interview with Robert Shea: Congress’s Data Plan Could Save Big Money (April 22, 2015)

Posted in Evidence

Promise Zone Tax Breaks May Not ‘Hold Water’ With Ryan

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Patrick Lester

Tax incentives like those proposed by the Obama administration for its Promise Zones initiative may be unlikely to be enacted outside a broad effort at tax reform.

According to a story in Roll Call:

Both parties have, in the past, supported using tax incentives to attract businesses to impoverished communities, with programs — variously called “enterprise zones,” “promise zones,” “empowerment zones” or “economic freedom zones” — that include tax breaks for expensing, financing and wage costs.

Sens. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., have introduced a bill (S 591) to make permanent the New Markets Tax Credit, which directs private capital to low-income communities through a 39 percent tax credit for investors.

But according to Roll Call, such proposals “don’t carry much weight with Ways and Means Chairman Paul D. Ryan.” While the Roll Call article does not quote the congressman on Promise Zones specifically, it suggests he would support such tax incentives “only in the context of tax reform.”

Promise Zones: Round Two (September 20, 2014)

Posted in Collective Impact

Senate Panel Approves Education Innovation Proposal to Replace i3

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Patrick Lester

The Senate HELP Committee today approved legislative language that would replace the Investing in Innovation (i3) program with a new, bottom-up education alternative. The bipartisan amendment, offered by Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Michael Bennet (D-CO), was approved by voice vote during a markup of a bill that would rework the No Child Left Behind Act.

The amendment (text) is based on a proposal from the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy that would promote field-initiated innovations and subject them to increasing levels of rigorous evaluation as they expand from an initial proof-of-concept stage to wider implementation.

“Teachers and school leaders across the country have innovative, evidence-based ideas that have the potential to significantly increase student achievement,” Sen. Bennet said. “The innovation funds in this amendment help support the development, implementation, expansion and replication of these initiatives to help more students succeed.”

The amendment was backed by the Knowledge Alliance, Results for America, the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, and over 140 other organizations.

The underlying bill, introduced by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA) , also contains several other evidence and innovation provisions, including those governing evaluations and pay-for-success.

Update: The committee passed the bill on April 16 by a vote of 22-0. It now goes to the Senate floor.

Bipartisan Senate Education Bill May Advance Evidence-based Policy (April 8, 2015)
i3’s Fate Tied to NCLB Reauthorization (February 20, 2015)

Posted in Education