Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act
Understanding legislation that promotes data-driven decision making in government.
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The Push for Evidence-Based Policy
The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Evidence Act) emerged from bipartisan recognition that government decisions should be informed by rigorous evidence. The law creates a framework for agencies to build, use, and share data and research to improve program effectiveness and government operations.
Key Provisions
The Evidence Act establishes several new requirements and structures:
- Chief Data Officers - Each agency must designate a CDO responsible for data governance
- Statistical Official - Coordinate statistical activities and data access
- Evaluation Officer - Oversee program evaluation and evidence-building
- Learning Agendas - Multi-year plans identifying priority research questions
- Open Data Plans - Strategies for making data available to the public
- Data Inventories - Comprehensive catalogs of agency data assets
The Federal Data Strategy
The Evidence Act directed development of a government-wide Federal Data Strategy. Released in 2020, this strategy establishes principles, practices, and action steps for federal data management. It treats data as a strategic asset that should be governed, protected, and leveraged to serve the public.
Privacy and Confidentiality
The Evidence Act strengthens privacy protections while enabling appropriate data access. The law establishes confidential information protection requirements and creates processes for researcher access to restricted data. It balances the benefits of data sharing against legitimate privacy concerns.
Implementation Progress
Agencies have made significant progress implementing Evidence Act requirements. Most have appointed Chief Data Officers and established data governance structures. Learning agendas and evidence-building activities are underway across government. However, full implementation requires sustained investment and cultural change.
Building an Evidence Culture
Beyond structural requirements, the Evidence Act aims to build an evidence culture in government. This means using data and research to inform budget, policy, and management decisions. It requires developing workforce capacity in data science, evaluation, and research methods.
Key Takeaways
- The Evidence Act promotes evidence-based policy through data and research requirements.
- Agencies must appoint Chief Data Officers, Evaluation Officers, and Statistical Officials.
- Learning agendas identify priority questions for research and evaluation.
- The Federal Data Strategy provides government-wide data management principles.
- Full implementation requires sustained investment and cultural change.
Sources and Further Reading
- Evidence Act - Congress.gov
- Federal Data Strategy - U.S. Government
- Evidence Act Implementation - Evaluation.gov