ASA Science Policy Actions
• Setting implementation goals so R&D efforts
The ASA signs letters in support of funding for 2010
either bear fruit in a timely manner or resources
Census, NSF, and physical science research funding
are allocated elsewhere
The ASA initiates letter of professional organizations
• Rotating research and program staff so each gets
in support of newly reintroduced “Maloney Bill” (H.R.
a feel for the work of the other
1254) to ma ke the U.S. Census Bureau independent • Working closely with leading investigators out-
and give the director a fixed, five-year term side the agency—not reinventing the wheel
The ASA joins other professional organizations in
• Making R&D a mission-critical function with
support of the nomination of Robert Groves for
strong support from agency leadership
director of the U.S. Census Bureau
Having goal-oriented R&D programs for the
The ASA joins dozens of groups to sign letter to top major data series at an agency could mean funding
officials in the Obama administration urging that is not sufficient for all its current programs. In that
they end the practice of “ideological exclusion” case, canceling a program may well be preferable to
continuing all programs when none has sufficient
Sign-up for JSM congressional visits is
R&D resources to identify, let alone ameliorate,
now open at www.amstat.org/meetings/
major problems that may adversely affect relevance,
jsm/2009/index.cfm?fuseaction=capitolhill.
data quality, timeliness, or usability. Goal-oriented
R&D along the lines outlined above also has the
benefits of helping to energize agency staff and
• Including the resources in the R&D budget attract new staff.
for a data series to achieve the following: The Statistical and Science Policy Office could
Regularly monitor key indicators of
help bolster sustained R&D efforts for major data
potential problems, such as item nonre-
series by expecting agencies to include R&D in bud-
sponse rates, time between data collection
gets and supporting R&D funding within OMB;
and release, and per-interview cost
asking the OMB-chaired Federal Committee on
Statistical Methodology to establish action-oriented
Monitor key indicators not only in the
working groups on high priority, system-wide prob-
aggregate, but also for geographic areas,
lems to review the literature, document best practic-
data collection offices, and population sub-
es, and identify priorities for additional research; and
groups to identify potential trouble spots
urging the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy
Evaluate the extent of problems and their
to set system-wide priorities for needed R&D.
effects on data use
Finally, recognizing that the statistical system
Conduct research on ways to address prob-
cannot sustain goal-oriented R&D without the
lems at the source (such as improved ques-
support of a Congress that recognizes its value and
tion design or use of administrative records
that Congress is unlikely to support R&D without
in place of questions) and ways to address
strong constituency input, data users and support-
problems in estimation (such as improved
ers of programs that rely on statistical information
imputation methods or preliminary data
should do the following:
releases to improve timeliness) • Become knowledgeable of the strengths and
Conduct feasibility research on how
weaknesses of relevant data series
best to scale up test results to full-scale
• Become educated about the importance of
implementation
R&D for improving data series and keeping
Develop methods for phasing in improve-
them up to date
ments to facilitate data use (such as running
• Educate members of Congress and their staffs
old and new data series concurrently)
about the need to include sufficient R&D
• Including in the R&D budget for individual
funding in every statistical budget as a funda-
series a share of resources to support agency-
mental element, not a frill
wide R&D efforts on common problems
The new administration, by working with
• Regularly revisiting short-term and longer-term
Congress and constituents who care about objec-
priorities for R&D to focus attention on the
tive, high-quality statistics to bolster the federal
most important problems, using prior research
statistical system and statistical R&D, will take
findings and input from research staff, program
a major step in strengthening the foundation for
staff, and data users
evidence-based policy. ■
30 AMSTAT NEWS MAY 2009
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