The Pew Center on The States systematically studies state government including how each state performs in comparison to one another. 

These performance measurements have never been more important according to the Pew Center as “The United States is facing the gravest financial crisis in at least a generation. And while all levels of government are affected, the fiscal pain is felt most acutely by states.”

In this year’s report ‘Trade-off Time: How Four States Continue to Deliver’ (summary at http://tinyurl.com/pmqyz2), there is a description of how the Virginia Performs data system closely monitors the progress of each state agency.

“Established by former Governor Mark Warner and expanded upon by Governor Tim Kaine to build on the commonwealth’s tradition of good governance, Virginia Performs has created a culture of evidence-based decision making that allows Virginia’s leaders to systematically tackle the state’s budget crisis and increase agency productivity.

 Virginia was able to use data from the system to make targeted cuts in corrections, which saved money without affecting public safety. Among other reductions, the Virginia Department of Corrections replaced private food service contracts at several prisons when data showed that the services could be provided more cheaply in-house for a total annual savings of $851,000.”

Other cited examples include Utah, Indiana, and Maryland.

New Dawn is working on a ROI scorecard for justice agencies - courts, prosecutor, public defender, probation, and pretrial services.

 Have you seen any other good examples?