Released by Results for America (RFA) last month, the 2019 Invest in What Works Federal Standard of Excellence report once again shows the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is a leader among Federal Departments and Agencies on data-driven decision-making.  The report highlights nine U.S. Government entities for using data and evidence effectively in budget, policy, and management decisions, and features the significant progress USAID has made to operate efficiently, including our early efforts to implement the new requirements in the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Evidence Act). 

Administrator Green notes that, “The ultimate goal of development assistance must be to work towards the day when it is no longer necessary, and we should measure our work by how far every one of our investments moves us closer to that day.  The Results for America Index demonstrates USAID is building and using evidence to improve our work, which is the core of our Self-Reliance Learning Agenda.”  

USAID has long recognized that using the best available data and evidence to drive all levels of decision-making is a necessary component to meet our Agency’s goals.  USAID strongly supports the Evidence Act and the inherent view that the generation and use of stronger evidence leads to better outcomes.  USAID employs the results of RFA’s Federal Standard of Excellence to identify areas where the Agency can continue to improve the use of evidence in our decision-making and to learn from other U.S. Government Departments and Agencies on their approaches. 

USAID has integrated the use of evidence into our operations and policy priorities, including the new Agency-wide Policy Framework; the Journey to Self-Reliance Road Maps; the application of zero-based budgeting; and our reviews of operational business processes.  USAID also has launched the Agency-wide Self-Reliance Learning Agenda (SRLA), which serves our evidence-building plan required by the new law.  USAID is well on the way to meeting the other requirements of the Evidence Act, including having designated senior officials in the roles required by the statute; increasing public access to, and the usability of, our data through platforms accessible on the Internet, including the Development Data Library; launching an evidence capacity-assessment next month; and working towards an Agency evaluation plan.