ASA Endorses Report by Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking

At its quarterly meeting earlier this month, the American Statistical Association’s Board of Directors endorsed the United States Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking’s (CEP) new report: The Promise of Evidence-Based Policymaking. The report identifies specific, actionable measures that can be taken to improve government programs and policies, some of which include the following:

• Improving data access
• Modernizing and strengthening privacy protections
• Strengthening the federal government capacity

“We are proud to endorse the commission’s report and commend the commissioners for this excellent document,” said ASA President Barry D. Nussbaum. “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.”

The CEP is an independent advisory committee created with bipartisan congressional support in 2016 to develop a strategy for increasing the availability and use of data to build evidence about government programs while protecting privacy and confidentiality. The commission’s term ended September 30, 2017. The ASA will work with members of Congress to develop details pertaining to the implementation of these recommendations.