The concept of evidence-based policymaking — the idea that policies should be developed and refined based on hard data, not just hunches — can play a critical role in helping state and local agencies identify and mitigate systemic issues that undermine government’s ability to serve all constituents.
As agencies become more adept at collecting, managing and analyzing data, they are able to answer critical questions that previously proved elusive. Here are some examples of what can be done in key policy areas.
Environmental
Where do environmental hazards put public health at risk?
The Equity Issue
Air pollution, dirty waterways, industrial waste and other environmental concerns do not align neatly with any jurisdictional boundaries. Still, public policies around zoning, environmental cleanup and other community planning issues often lead to increased risks in communities where constituents lack a say in policy decisions. The result? Higher risk for disadvantaged communities.
A Data Solution
Colorado has developed an online mapping program called Colorado EnviroScreen that combines population and environmental factors, so state and local policymakers can see where communities have been disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards. In addition to highlighting areas in need of assistance, the tool is intended to provide guidance about future decisions with public health consequences, such as permitting fracking and mining.
Transportation
Does public transit support parents seeking assistance?
The Equity Issue
Head Start centers provide federally funded services to parents with children ages five and under. In addition to daycare, the centers offer services and activities to support school readiness, child health and wellness, and family well-being. The challenge is that many parents or caregivers can’t get to those centers. A recent study by the Civic Mapping Initiative found that only about 42% of the 164,000 centers are within 0.2 miles of public transit.
A Data Solution
The National Head Start Association has teamed with the Civic Mapping Initiative to make transit agencies aware of these gaps. Initially, they are focused on centers that have a bus stop within a mile of their location. A mile is too long for an adult to walk with a toddler, but close enough that a stop can be added without a lot of fuss.
Economics
Do zoning rules create unfair barriers to home ownership?
The Equity Issue
For local government, zoning regulations are one of the most powerful ways to give shape to a community — to spur growth in some areas and limit it in others. But such rules have the potential to harden divides along demographic and economic lines. That has become a concern with zoning rules that put hard limits on multifamily homes, which can serve as an entry point to home ownership for people with lower household incomes.
A Data Solution
The Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization, delved into this issue using the Connecticut Zoning Atlas, a data set that aligns zoning texts with digital maps across the state. By overlaying those maps with demographic and economic indicators at the neighborhood level, researchers found that people who lived in areas zoned primarily for single-family housing were more likely to be white, highly educated — and much more likely to own their homes than people living in areas permitting multifamily homes, according to its report.
Public Health
Are communities collecting the data needed to highlight public-health equity concerns?
The Equity Issue
During the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, public health officials wanted to understand how the pandemic and response efforts were playing out among different demographics, such as race, ethnicity, age and gender. The problem was that in the early going, many communities were not consistently collecting demographic data, making it difficult to identify and address inequities.
A Data Solution
Based on lessons learned from the pandemic, the CDC Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, developed some guiding principles that local communities can use to ensure they bring an equity lens to their data initiatives, from data collection and analysis to dissemination and decision-making. The principles draw on a report by the National Commission to Transform Public Health Data Systems.
This article appeared in our guide, “Building Trust With Tech In State and Local Government.” To see more about how agencies are using technology to build relationships with constituents, download it here: