Evaluating Welfare Reform in an Era of Transition (2001) / Chapter Skim
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6. Administrative Issues for Maintaining the Data Infrastructure
6. Administrative Issues for Maintaining the Data Infrastructure
Pages 149-160
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From page 149... ...
National-level survey data sets are of limited sample size, and have suffered serious problems of nonresponse, and their questions on welfare program participation are not adequate to capture the new devolved structure of programs. In addition, serious delays in producing key data sets have limited publicly available data for the post-PRWORA period, constraining the analysis of outcomes for that important time frame.
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From page 150... ...
Finally, we lay out the functions that need to be carried out, and we discuss some alternative organizational structures that might be developed to carry out those functions. THE CURRENT SYSTEM Responsibilities for collection of data relevant to social welfare programs are currently spread across several different federal agencies, none of whose primary purpose is the maintenance and development of data on these programs.
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From page 151... ...
ASPE is responsible for strategic planning, policy development, research, and evaluation for the Department's programs, including TANF and related social welfare programs for families and children. As part of these duties, ASPE currently has some responsibilities to collect data, to support data collection undertaken by others, and to support data use for policy planning, development, and evaluation.
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From page 152... ...
The lack of any agency within DHHS that has the distinct administrative authority and responsibility, and the requisite staff expertise, for federal and state-level data collection on social welfare programs and populations has, the panel believes, been partly responsible for the limitations in the data infrastructure. Conclusion 6.1 No agency within DHHS has distinct administrative authority and responsibility for the collection and development of data relevant to social welfare and human service policies and programs.
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From page 153... ...
A previous National Research Council panel charged with reviewing SIPP noted the weaknesses of the organizational structure and the need for the Census Bureau to seek outside input on the content and basic design of the survey. The study recommended a different management structure within the Census Bureau to produce income and program participation statistics partly because of the lack of a social welfare program data collection agency within DHHS that would have been a logical agency to sponsor the survey (National Research Council, 1993b)
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From page 154... ...
State-based but federally coordinated monitoring and evaluation efforts, such as the ASPE-sponsored welfare leaver studies, face challenges of comparability in defining terms and standards for data collection. Even the efforts of DHHS to collect data describing each state's policies and administrative data from states to check program compliance and assess performance of state programs are hindered by these same comparability issues.
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From page 155... ...
While the panel concludes that the federal government should retain responsibility for collecting high-quality data for social welfare program monitoring and evaluation, coordination and cooperation with states is a necessary and critical part of developing a data infrastructure. Administrative Mechanisms and Functions The need for methodological leadership to address the complex data collection, linkage, storage, and access needs for social program data leads the panel to recommend that alternative administrative mechanisms for lodging responsibility and authority for social welfare program data collection in some entity within DHHS be considered.
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From page 156... ...
The panel believes that the short- and long-term data needs will be best met if some organizational entity within DHHS is given responsibility and authority for data collection activities. Recommendation 6.2 The panel recommends that an organizational entity be identified or created within DHHS and that this entity be assigned direct administrative responsibility and authority for carrying out statistical functions and data collection for social welfare programs and the populations they serve.
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From page 157... ...
NCHS also supports the development of state and local data through the use of telephone survey methodology linked to existing household surveys in conjunction with the Healthy People process, which sets and tracks progress in reaching health objectives at the national, state, and local levels; and through research and collaborative efforts to adapt and apply national data sets and methodology to state-based applications. The BLS is a federal statistical agency that collects or sponsors the collection of, processes, analyzes, and disseminates statistical data on labor markets and related topics to the public, Congress, other federal agencies, state and local governments, business, and labor.
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From page 158... ...
State data collection and coordination functions must necessarily be a part of the administrative responsibility for human service and social welfare programs. As in all federal-state cooperative efforts, this will create a need for organizational entities at the state level to be responsible for coordination of data collection activities with the federal government and with other states.
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From page 159... ...
The Functions Needed We provide here an itemization of the functions that would need to be performed by whatever new or existing organizational entity within DHHS is given responsibility and authority to carry out the mission. National Surveys The organizational entity that is assigned responsibility would be the primary sponsor of the national surveys used to monitor and evaluate human service and social welfare programs and, in general, content related to the low income population.
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From page 160... ...
Data Archive for Continuing Research Needs A leadership role is needed in developing data archives on particular topics for use in social welfare program evaluation and research. Archives may include state surveys and administrative data, for which the agency would be responsible for preparing the surveys or administrative data for use by researchers.
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