Journal Article

The Obama Administration and PBB: Building on the Legacy of Federal Performance-Informed Budgeting?

Joyce, Philip G.

2011

Overview

The administration of President Barack Obama, like those of his immediate predecessors, is focused on trying to improve the quality of, and use of, performance data. The federal government has been pursuing performance-informed budget reforms for more than 50 years. Most recently, the Bush administration reforms included the President's Management Agenda and the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART). The Obama administration reforms include: measuring the effects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; reducing or eliminating poorly-performing programs; setting a limited number of short-term, high-priority performance goals; and funding detailed program evaluations. The administration is taking a more agency-driven approach than the Bush administration, but continues to find it challenging to move beyond production of performance data to its use. There should be opportunities to show how performance information can be used for decision making, given the change in the political climate and the needs to reduce spending and the deficit. Historically, there has been little appetite in the Congress for evidence-based decision making. The administration, however, can continue to demonstrate how federal agencies can use performance information to more effectively manage programs.

• Publisher: Blackwell Publishing Ltd,Wiley Subscription Services
• Subject: Administrative agencies / Budget reform / Budget, Government / Business management / Classification / Data analysis / Decision Making / Expenditures / Federal budgets / Federal Government / Government / Government budgets / Government performance / Legislative Bodies / Management / Managerial budgeting / Obama, Barack / Organizational goals / Presidents / Program Evaluation / Public administration / Public budgeting / Rating / Reform / Symposium on Performance-Based Budgeting / U.S.A / United States / United States federal budget