Key National Indicator Systems: A U.S. Perspective

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Key National Indicator Systems: A U.S. Perspective Bernice Steinhardt Director, Strategic Issues U.S. Government Accountability Office

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Key National Indicator Systems: A U.S. Perspective. Bernice Steinhardt Director, Strategic Issues U.S. Government Accountability Office. Presentation Overview. The context for indicators: why measure U.S. experience with indicators Current developments and GAO’s role - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of Key National Indicator Systems: A U.S. Perspective

Page 1: Key National Indicator Systems:   A U.S. Perspective

Key National Indicator Systems: A U.S. Perspective

Bernice SteinhardtDirector, Strategic Issues

U.S. Government Accountability Office

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Presentation Overview

• The context for indicators: why measure

• U.S. experience with indicators

• Current developments and GAO’s role

• Indicators and the international government audit community

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The 21st Century: A Period of Profound Transition

• Changing security threats

• Long-term fiscal and environmental sustainability

• Economic recovery and restored growth

• Global interdependency

• Demographic and other social change

• Advancements in science and technology

• Public expectations of government

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Implications for U.S. Government

• Many of the current policies, programs, functions, and activities are based on conditions that existed decades ago and are not well aligned with 21st century realities.

• We cannot afford to continue to do business as usual.

• Accomplishing U.S. government goals will increasingly rely on strengthened mechanisms for collaboration.

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Key National Indicators and Governance in the 21st Century

• U.S. government increasingly has to partner with other governments, other levels of government, private and not-for-profit sectors, to achieve results. Examples:

• Disaster planning, response and recovery

• Environmental protection

• Public health

• Need tools and metrics to link efforts

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Role of Key National Indicator System

Inform strategic planning (link shared purposes)

Enhance performance and accountability

Inform congressional oversight and decision making

Facilitate oversight, and stimulate greater citizen engagement

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History of Key National Indicators in the United States

• Numerous sets of national-level indicators in response to changing needs and conditions:

• Economic indicators developed during the Great Depression of the 1930s

• Growth in social programs in the 1960s drove need for social indicators (e.g., education, health)

• Concern for environmental protection led to interest in developing environmental data

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Subnational Indicator Systems in U.S.

• While lacking a national indicator system, considerable interest and activity at the city, state and regional levels during last 20 years

• Learning-oriented: information about social, cultural, economic, environmental conditions, presented with little or no commentary or analysis, for educational purposes

• Outcome-oriented: indicators used to monitor and encourage progress toward goals

• About 150 community, state or regional indicator projects across the U.S.

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Efforts to Develop National Indicator System for U.S.

• GAO, in cooperation with National Academy of Sciences, convened forum in 2003 to discuss whether and how to create key national indicator system for U.S.

• About 60 leaders in accountability, business, education, NGO, government, labor, media, minority, scientific, and statistics communities

• Efforts continued over next several years under leadership of National Academy

• Independent non-profit organization created in 2007: State of the USA

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State of the USA (www.stateoftheusa.org)

• Seeks to provide decisionmakers and the public information needed to

• measure national progress

• evaluate policies and strategies

• permit comparisons to other nations

• Designed to be a Web-based system

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State of the USA (www.stateoftheusa.org)

• Envisioned as public-private partnership, supported by government and non-government sectors

• All sectors involved in achieving national goals have a stake in outcomes

• Vital to have shared understanding in order to link efforts towards common goal

• Expect to develop about 300 key indicators, including some number of composite indicators in 12 core domains (e.g., environment) and 12 cross-cutting domains (e.g, competitiveness)

• Created 20 key health indicators in 2009

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Congressional Action to Develop a KNI System

• In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-148) included a provision mandating

• the National Academy to establish a U.S. key national indicator system through its own institutional capability or in partnership with an independent, private, nonprofit organization; and

• creation of a bipartisan Commission on Key National Indicators composed of eight members, appointed by congressional leadership, to provide oversight of such a system, among other responsibilities.

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GAO Role in Legislation

• Act also directed GAO to study previous work conducted by public agencies, private organizations, or foreign countries with respect to best practices for a key national indicator system.

• GAO study also subject of a request from Senate committee chairman to examine other KNI systems and their implications for federal government.

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Research Objectives for GAO Study

• Examine trends in development and maintenance of indicator systems and experiences of key stakeholders

• Identify how indicator systems have been used by governments and stakeholders in policy and management decisions

• Identify factors affecting development and use of indicator systems and their potential implications for (a) the organization responsible for developing and overseeing a key national indicator system and (b) the federal government as data provider and user

• Report to be issued March 2011

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Scope of GAO Study: Case Study Selection Criteria

Comprehensiveness - a mixture of economic, environmental, and social and cultural indicators.

Longevity - in existence for at least 5 years and currently in operation.

Outcome-oriented – measures of progress towards achievement of stated goals or outcomes.

Connection with a governmental entity that uses the system to establish or modify programmatic priorities or to gauge progress in priority areas.

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Indicator Systems Selected as Case Studies

• National: Australia, Switzerland, United Kingdom

• State: Virginia; Victoria, Australia or South Australia

• Local: Boston, MA; King County, WA

• Focused reviews of other indicator systems:• Albuquerque, NM; Jacksonville, FL;Truckee, CA;

Oregon; the European Union, Lisbon Indicators; Finland; Latvia.

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Potential Roles for GAO in Future

• Assess development of indicators or system

• Audit quality of information, including validity and reliability

• Audit effectiveness of KNI system in achieving objectives

• Use indicator data to help target improvement opportunities

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International Audit Community Interest in Key National Indicators

• In 2007, International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) agreed that KNIs could be an important tool to align government programs and policies with results that citizens care about.

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Opportunities that Indicator Systems Can Provide for SAIs

• Relevant audit work that can inform public discourse and decision making

• Ability to learn from other organizations and countries that have national indicator systems

• Better understanding of government agencies’ contributions to national outcomes

• Increase transparency and accountability

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Role of National Audit Offices in National Indicator Systems

• Nearly all (23 of 27) responding SAIs indicated they performed at least one role vis-à-vis indicator systems:

• Identifying the need for key national indicator systems

• Contributing to system design and implementation• Assessing the indicators/systems• Auditing quality, validity, reliability of indicator

information• Using indicators to assess, report on national

progress• Others: publishing guides, convening discussions,

informing audit work, influencing public discourse

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INTOSAI Working Group on Key National Indicators

• Goals:

• To support SAIs’ ability to use KNIs in auditing government performance

• To promote exchange of best practices in development and use of KNIs

• To support INTOSAI’s role in promoting development and use of KNIs

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KNI Working Group Activities

• Memorandum of Understanding with OECD

• Participation in OECD World Forum on Measuring Progress

• Collaboration on Guide to KNI Terms and Concepts

• Principles and guidelines for use of KNIs in performance audits

• Survey of international experience in KNI development and use

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For Further Information

• About GAO—www.gao.gov

• Prior GAO work on Key National Indicators• Informing Our Nation: Improving How to Understand and

Assess the USA’s Position and Progresswww.gao.gov/products/GAO-05-1

• Controller General Forum on Key National Indicators www.gao.gov/products/GAO-03-672SP

• Key National Indicators Mandate• H.R. 3590, Public Law 111-148, Title V, Subtitle G, Section

5605 • Available at www.thomas.loc.gov