The federal government is urging states and localities to study the results of their American Rescue Plan Act spending and to adopt programs with proven track records.
As state and local governments get started spending billions in federal recovery dollars, public officials are making bold predictions about how far the money will go to help their communities with issues like homelessness, upgrading infrastructure and job training.
But to know how well these investments are paying off, it will be necessary to have systems in place to assess whether they’re meeting their goals. With this in mind, the federal government is pushing states and localities receiving American Rescue Plan Act funds to think about ways to evaluate the results of their spending, and also to pursue “evidence-based” programs.
“Evaluation lets us understand if something is working as intended, why and for who,” Diana Epstein, who leads a team focused on evidence-based policymaking at the White House Office of Management and Budget, said during an online seminar the Treasury Department held this week to discuss program evaluation and other issues tied to ARPA’s state and local aid funding.
ROUTE FIFTY
by BILL LUCIA
AUGUST 12, 2021