Policy Research and Program Evaluation After DOGE
Tuesday, June 17, 1:00-2:30 PM ET
Speakers: Paul Decker (President, Mathematica), Sherry Glied (Dean, New York University Wagner Graduate School of Public Service), David Reingold (Chancellor, Indiana University-Bloomington), and Cecilia Rouse (President, Brookings Institution and Professor, Princeton)
Moderator: Douglas Besharov (Professor, University of Maryland School of Public Policy and Senior Fellow, The Bipartisan Policy Center)
Major cuts have been made in the federal structure and funding for policy research and program evaluation—in health, education, and social programs; international aid, and throughout the federal government.
This has been a deeply troubling process, not just for the staff involved, but because past decades have seen strengthened evaluation methods advance our understanding of many societal problems, and how to better address them. Nevertheless, past federal approaches to program evaluation were not without weaknesses, and many of us would like to see various and, in some cases, fundamental changes made.
After a brief summary of what has happened (and is still happening), the panelists will address five questions about the future: What opportunities are likely to open in policy research? Can we build on past successes to make evaluations more policy and program relevant? What methodologies would be in an updated evaluation toolkit? How will AI and IT generally affect evaluation practices? And, what should students and prospective students be told?
Note to practitioners: If you would like to share any information about the cuts or changes in your organization, please write to dcall1@umd.edu.
This webinar is presented in association with The Brookings Institution, Indiana University’s O’Neil School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Mathematica, NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy.
