Intelligent Governance: Creating a Data-Driven Culture for Dynamic Decision-Making
Invest in What Works Federal Standard of Excellence
Data are powerful tools that federal agencies leverage as strategic assets to make data-driven and evidence-based decisions to deliver services, invest in programs, and ultimately enhance outcomes for residents. Foundational to effective use, analysis, and governance of data, agencies should have the proper structures and systems in place to drive data-driven decision-making. The data (Criteria 5) in Results for America’s Invest in What Works Federal Standards of Excellence (Federal Standard of Excellence) outlines how federal agencies can:
5.1 Create a strategic data plan with an open data policy;
5.2 Create a comprehensive data inventory;
5.3 Promote data access or data linkage for evaluations, evidence-building, or program improvement;
5.4 Implement policies and procedures to secure data and protect personal, confidential information;
5.5 Provide assistance to city, county, and state governments, and other grantees on accessing the agency’s datasets while protecting privacy.
These sub-criteria describe the practices that agencies across the federal government can have in place to become more transparent, dynamic, and efficient in improving outcomes and service delivery.
U.S. Agency for International Development
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) offers a comprehensive response to creating a strategic data plan integrated with an open data policy. USAID demonstrates that technology, data, and evidence are crucial pieces in empowering international communities to develop their economies, rebuild from natural disasters, and address humanitarian crises. USAID’s Information Technology Strategic Plan offers internal and external stakeholders insight into the agency’s data related practices and goals in using data as tools for solving global development issues. Additionally, USAID’s Development Data Policy serves as the agency’s open data policy to provide a framework for systematically collecting, using, and publishing high quality data with robust privacy protections. Data will be critical tools to assist countries with their public health emergencies.
The federal government’s mandate to leverage data COVID-19 response is especially relevant at a time when global partners continue to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and look to secure and distribute vaccines. USAID’s Information Technology Strategic Plan and Data Policy ensure the agency is equipped to use data in an effective and efficient manner to help communities globally.
U.S. Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) data inventory describes the data reported to ED as part of grant activities, along with administrative and statistical data assembled and maintained by the Department. The data inventory also includes descriptive information on the specific data elements in individual data collections. Additionally, ED’s Open Data Platform serves as the agency’s one-stop shop for publishing, finding, and accessing public data profiles by bringing together all of the agency’s data assets into a single location. It is evident that the agency has made great strides in publishing and disseminating data for internal and external stakeholders to promote equal student achievement nationally. For example, ED’s College Scorecard links data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the Office of Federal Student Aid, and the Internal Revenue Service to help residents identify the best higher education and apprenticeship options within a field of study, given their cost preference and affordability. This tool is designed to help empower students to make informed decisions based on data the Department collects and reports publicly through a web-based platform.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) promotes data access and linkages for evaluation, evidence-building, and program improvement to boost communities with quality affordable housing. HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research produces open datasets for researchers and practitioners. The eGIS portal includes geo-identified open data to support analysis of housing and community development. Additionally, HUD’s data linkage agreements with the National Center for Health Statistics and the Census Bureau enhance national survey datasets by identifying HUD-assisted households to measure interventions. Lastly, HUD is making strides in reporting data disaggregated by race. For example, the agency’s publicly released program evaluations typically include data and results disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and gender, where the data permit such disaggregation. In 2020, HUD expanded the detail of race and ethnicity breakouts in the Worst Case Housing Needs report to Congress to the full extent permitted by the data.
As captured in the 2020 Federal Standard of Excellence, federal agencies and departments are increasingly building capacity to collect, use, and analyze data to improve practices, and programs for the residents they serve. However, while an agency can have these systems in place, a data-driven organizational culture is foundational.
The overarching question that should be consistently asked when discussing programs, policies, and budgets should be: What do the data say?
And while agencies await OMB implementation guidance for Title II: Open Government Data Act, Results for America’s Federal Standard of Excellence, can help agencies set the foundational practices for data-driven decisionmaking. Beyond the Evidence Act, the Federal Data Strategy and President Biden’s Memorandum on Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking, and his Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government directs agencies to advance their data practices to advance racial equity, leveraging data as tools to understand the long-standing, historic injustices and seek solutions.
Read Results for America’s 2020 Invest in What Works Federal Standard of Excellence here. And read more about the Data Criteria here.
