U.S. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking
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Policymakers need good information on which to base decisions in order to meet the demands of the American people for a government that operates effectively and tackles the problems that face the country. Whether developing regulations, setting funding levels, or determining which policies to advance, policymakers constantly demand that evidence be generated and available to meet this need. But today, too little evidence is produced to satisfy this demand.
In 2017, the U.S. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking issued a bipartisan strategy for ensuring that rigorous evidence is created efficiently and as a routine part of government operations that can, in turn, be used to construct effective public policy. The Commission unanimously approved 22 recommendations to improve data access, strengthen privacy protections, and enhance government’s capacity for evidence building.
In September 2017, the Bipartisan Policy Center launched its Evidence-Based Policymaking Initiative to continue the work of the Commission, advocating for the implementation of all 22 recommendations.
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Statements and Testimonies
The Commission of Evidence-based Policymaking solicited input from stakeholders from Federal agencies, researchers, program evaluators, program administrators, advocacy organizations, foundations, non-profit organizations, and the business community to develop a comprehensive data strategy that supports secure evidence-building. The material below highlights statements from key stakeholders as well as testimony submitted as feedback for the Commission’s consideration.
Commission of Evidence-Based Policymaking Case Studies
Credible data inform federal decision-making on a variety of policy topics. The Commission on Evidence-based Policymaking was established to develop a strategy for increasing data availability and use in the federal government while protecting privacy and confidentiality. The following case studies presented to the Commission and arranged by topic demonstrate how data, research, and evaluation are used to build evidence, and how to strengthen the government’s evidence-building efforts while minimizing data risk and supporting privacy efforts.
Government in Action
- Agency Partnerships: USDA Food Assistance Program Research
- Addressing Gaps: DOJ Statistical Database for Criminal Records
Research in Action
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Data in Action
Government in Action
- Agency Partnerships: USDA Food Assistance Program Research
- Addressing Gaps: DOJ Statistical Database for Criminal Records
Research in Action
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Data Security and Privacy
Strategies for Minimizing Data Risk
- Implementing Confidentiality Protection and Safeguards
- Properties of Differential Privacy
- Economics of Evidence: Solving Public Sector Problems
- Federal Electronic Surveillance and Privacy Protections
- Creating an Integrated System for Confidential Data Access
- Secure Encryption of Statistical and Administrative Data
State Legal Perspectives
- Building Trust in Data Collection
- Data Sharing Agreements for Public and Private Universities in Illinois
- Data-driven Public Safety in California
Federal Legal Perspectives
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Policy Demand for Evaluation
Government Capacity
- Perspectives from a Federal Evaluation Office
- Evaluation Policies at HHS
- Data and Capacity at HUD: Cross-Agency Data Linking
- Data and Capacity at HHS: Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs
NGO Capacity
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Data Availability and Linkage
State/Local
- Building Capacity for Data-Driven Policy
- Building Partnerships Through Cooperative Programs: BLS Quarterly Census
- Using Data Analysis and Integration to Support Delivery System Transformation
- Increasing State and Local Use of Administrative Data
- Data Sharing Within the North Carolina Education Research Data Center
- Using Data Integration to Foster Innovation in New York City
- Establishing Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems
Federal
- Encouraging Joint Statistical Research Programs at IRS
- Maximizing Data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
- The Creation for the National Statistics System
- An Overview of Data Infrastructure: the US Census Bureau
International
- Supporting Access to Administrative Data in Germany
- Administrative Data Research Network— Linking and Protecting Government Data for Social Research:
- Administrative Data Research Network— Linking and Protecting Government Data for Social Research:
- Increasing Knowledge for a Better Society
- Secure Access to Administrative Data in France
- Stats NZ – Better data, better lives: How integrated data is shaping New Zealand:
- Stats NZ – Better data, better lives: How integrated data is shaping New Zealand:
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Building Data Infrastructure
Federal Data Sharing
Federal and State Partnerships
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