Trust and transparency in government data

"And I don't think people generally understand how much of the social programs we have are influenced by the research that people have done before. I mean, just take for an example, the Earned Income Tax Credit. It's one of our biggest anti-poverty programs. It's a bonus that we pay low-wage workers. And it has survived in part because there's good data on what effect it this has on people's willingness to work or the well-being of their children and stuff like that."

"So without good data to fund to that honest researchers can do, and sometimes we'll discover some programs don't work and we can get rid of them, we'll be driving blind. Some people probably prefer that we drive blind so they can point us in the direction that they want to go. But that doesn't seem like the right direction."

The Bureau of Labor Statistics and other statistical agencies produce data that shape economic understanding and policy at community and national levels. High-quality data underpins evaluation of social programs and informs decisions about continuation or elimination. The Earned Income Tax Credit serves as an example: it reduces poverty, rewards low-wage workers, and persists partly because reliable data show effects on work incentives and child well-being. Funding for rigorous, independent research allows discovery of program effectiveness. Without such data and research, policymakers would operate without reliable evidence, enabling biased direction and poorer outcomes.

Read at FlowingData