Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Evaluation of Government Programs

In connection with the announcement of the 2007 budget, The Office of Management and Budget has announced a new web page, ExpectMore.gov, which provides information about government programs judged by OMB to be successful or not. OMB rates 72% of Federal Programs to be Effective, Moderately Effective or Adequate, leaving 28% rated as Ineffective or "Results Not Demonstrated." It's worth browsing just to see the lists of hundreds programs with links to their budgets and home pages.

"The world is so full of a number of things..."

Pick a program you know something about to see how the site works. Example: Food Stamps. The program is performing moderately effectively. Purpose: "To alleviate hunger and improve nutrition by increasing food purchasing power of eligible low-income households." There's also a nutrition education goal. The program's own assessment shows participation rising from 54% of eligible households in 2002 to 56% in 2003, the most recent year for which data is complete. The overpayment error rate has fallen from 8.3% in 2002 to 5.9% in 2004.

Assessment Scores
Program Purpose & Design 80%
Strategic Planning 62%
Program Management 100%
Program Results/Accountability 67%

Program Funding Level (in millions)
FY2005 $33349
FY2006 $33890
FY2007 $36003

Check it out with your favorite program.

(Cross posted at Dryden Democrats)

1 comment:

LauraHinNJ said...

I would like to see changes made to the Food Stamp program to change the eligibility requirements for senior citizens and disabled people. Entitlement programs are too heavily geared for families and children, IMO, leaving behind the elderly and disabled. Too many of this country's seniors are struggling to get by at 100% of the federal poverty level and are eligible for only a tiny amount of food stamps, maybe $10 a month if they are lucky enough to get into subsidized senior housing. How can one eat a *nutritious* diet on 10 dollars a month?