Moneyball for Government Principles
Too often, policymakers rely on gut instinct, or worse, special interests, when deciding how to invest taxpayer dollars. Less than $1 out every $100 spent by government is backed by even the most basic evidence that the money is being spent wisely. At a time when our nation is facing enormous social and economic shifts, budget constraints at all levels of government, an increasingly competitive workforce and growing demand for government services, young people, their families and communities are especially vulnerable.
Government can take a cue from Major League Baseball and Billy Beane, the legendary general manager of the Oakland Athletics who forever changed baseball by using data and statistics to overcome a tremendous financial disadvantage. Like Billy Beane and his Oakland A’s, America can use this time of fiscal scarcity to focus on what works in order to get better results. We need to be spending our money on the most effective and efficient solutions to strengthen our nation’s competitiveness. Together we can bring Moneyball to government and get better Results for America.
More than 250 local, state, federal, nonprofit, and academic leaders from all across the political spectrum and throughout the country believe that government at all levels should help improve outcomes for young people, their families, and communities by:
- Building evidence about the practices, policies and programs that will achieve the most effective and efficient results so that policymakers can make better decisions;
- Investing limited taxpayer dollars in practices, policies and programs that use data, evidence and evaluation to demonstrate they work; and
- Directing funds away from practices, policies, and programs that consistently fail to achieve measurable outcomes.