The ASA Board at its November meeting unanimously agreed to endorse
The Promise of Evidence-Based Policymaking, the final report of the
Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking (CEP). “We are proud to endorse the commission’s report and commend the commissioners for this excellent document,” said ASA President Barry D. Nussbaum said in a
November 22 press release. “In laying out a comprehensive strategy for improving the use of evidence in the federal government while protecting the privacy of its citizens, the report identifies specific, actionable measures that can be taken, and, in doing so, demonstrates the significance and importance of statistics in bettering the public good. At a time when federal statistical agencies are tasked to do more with less funding and the integrity of objective, accurate official statistics is questioned by some in the current Administration, this report is invaluable.”
With recommendations to endorse from the ASA Privacy and Confidentiality Committee (P&CC) and the Scientific and Public Affairs Advisory Committee (SPAAC), the Board sees its endorsement of the report and its finding and recommendations as a show of support for (i) evidence-based policymaking broadly; (ii) the report’s specific findings and recommendations; (iii) and the work of the commission and its staff.
To the first point, Nussbaum commented, “Statisticians’ support of evidence-based policymaking and data-driven decision-making is hardwired. The pursuant policies and decisions in the public sector result in smarter, more efficient government, save taxpayer money, and achieve better outcomes, with similar results in the private sector. Beyond its specific recommendations, we’re pleased the commission and its report help to further the overall evidence-based policymaking movement.”
Acknowledging the details to be worked out in Congress's implementation of the recommendations, the ASA Board urged the engagement of statistical expertise into the legislative process, emphasizing the ASA’s proactive role in being a resource to members of Congress and their staffs.
With the Board's endorsement of the report,
let me state what a great opportunity I think this report is for the statistical community. Since the Ryan-Murray bill establishing the commission was first introduced, I've sensed more awareness and use of the term, evidenced-based policymaking (EBP), in my conversations most notably in meetings for Climate Science Day and in conversations around a bill banning a database. I was also impressed with how many members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee came to the hearing on the Commission's report to talk about EBP. See Jeff Mervis's report, What's the evidence? Congress struggles to understand new report on evidence-based policy, or the actual hearing recording. These comments are of course more general, referring to the overall attention that the Commission has brought to evidence-based policymaking, but the report's many specific recommendations provide a wonderful roadmap for realizing greater evidence-based policymaking in our government. I hope ASA members will help build the impressive momentum generated by the report by supporting this report and evidence-based policymaking (EBP) more generally. You can do this in many ways, including (i) sharing the report with your networks, including on social media; (ii) using the term EBP more often; (iii) sharing examples of EBP successes; (iv) speaking to your elected officials (at all levels of government) about the report, EBP, and the enacting bills; and (v) sharing your thoughts and examples with the ASA (which I'd be pleased to receive). I'd also welcome your ideas for how ASA and ASA members can advocate for the report and EBP.
Even though the CEP's charge expired September 30, its work is being continued by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) as noted in a
previous blog entry. The CEP Policy Director (and ASA Member) Nick Hart has been hired as director of BPC's new Evidence-Based Policymaking Initiative and the Commissioners have all agreed to serve as advisers to the BPC initiative.
It's very encouraging to see Congress's swift and bipartisan action to legislate the report's recommendations in its first of an expected three bills. Introduced October 31 by Speaker Ryan and Senator Murray, passed on November 2 by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and then by the House on November 15, the bill is titled,
Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2017 (H.R. 4174). The BPC circulated these resources on the bill:
Based on the support from the P&CC and SPAAC, the ASA signed onto a general letter in support of the H.R. 4174.
See also:
- Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking Issues Final Report, 9/7/17 blog entry
- What’s the evidence? Congress struggles to understand new report on evidence-based policy, Jeffrey Mervis, Science, 9/28/17.
- How to collect better data on government programs—and improve privacy, too, Jeffrey Mervis, ScienceInsider, 9/8/17.
- Members of Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking being named; Include ASA Fellows, 5/23/16 blog entry
- Blog entries by Amy Nussbaum, such as these: Third Meeting of the Commission for Evidence-Based Policymaking and Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking: Public Hearing
- ASA's comments to the Commission at the October 21, 2016 public hearing.
See other ASA Science Policy blog entries. For ASA science policy updates, follow @ASA_SciPol on Twitter.