The Lab @ DC: How Data and Evidence are Transforming DC City Government
By Josh McGee, Executive Vice President of Results-Driven Government, Laura and John Arnold Foundation
In July 2016, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser appeared on “Morning Joe” to discuss the DC police department’s use of body worn cameras, a technology solution that cities across the country had begun deploying in an attempt to reduce instances of police misbehavior. When anchor Joe Scarborough asked why it was taking so long to equip all the officers with the cameras, the mayor clarified that a phased roll-out was intentional and necessary in order to compare the difference in the behavior of officers wearing cameras to those who did not. A year later, The New York Times ran a front-page story about the results of DC’s randomized study, which found that body worn cameras had almost no effect on police officer behavior. This study had significant implications not only for D.C., but for many other cities that were considering significant investments in this new technology.
The study, which solidified D.C.’s national reputation as a leader in using scientific research to inform important government decisions, was carried out by The Lab @ DC, a team of researchers based out of the Office of the City Administrator. The Lab was launched with support from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF), which now funds six similar “policy labs” across the country that help state and local governments use data and evidence to inform policy design, program operations, and budget allocations. A key element of the model’s success depends on building strong, trusting relationships with government decision-makers, as exemplified by the early progress made by The Lab @ DC. There are several principles underlying The Lab @ DC’s approach to government collaboration:
· Buy-in from the top: Through public appearances and actions, the Mayor and City Administrator have demonstrated their commitment to using scientific methods to test and improve policies. The Lab’s research team sits in the City Administrator’s immediate office and acts as a go-to resource for a wide range of city agencies.
· Educational outreach to agencies and staff: Working together on the body-worn camera study, The Lab @ DC Director David Yokum, built a close relationship with the Metropolitan Police Department Chief of Police and other public safety officials, who learned first-hand how randomized trials and rigorous research methods could improve the police department’s effectiveness. According to Matthew Bromeland, Chief of Staff for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the Chief of Police “feels very strongly about the lab. When going over problems, the first thing the Chief says is, “Can the research team look at and determine whether an evaluation can be used?” That same trust has now expanded to other agencies and staff. The team also works closely with community stakeholders to make sure research they conduct addresses community needs and concerns.
· Strong research expertise: The Lab has recruited 15 PhD researchers from a range of fields who are trained to conduct randomized controlled trials and other studies that meet the highest scientific standards. To ensure transparency and invite scrutiny from other researchers, the Lab pre-registers its major studies on the Open Science Framework. The Lab augments its internal research capacity by drawing on research talent from local universities as well as training city-agency staff.
· Sustainability: The lab’s research ers have been hired as D.C. government employees, integrated into the fabric of city government. The enthusiasm the lab has generated among agency leaders, civil servants, city council members, and the community bodes well for the lab’s prospects of continuing into future mayoral administrations.
The lessons learned by The Lab @ D.C. provide a blueprint that others can follow to establish trusting, long-term public-private partnerships. By working together to integrate rigorous evaluation into day-to-day operations, the lab and local leaders are creating a new decision-making process focused on learning and results — one that we believe could lead to major gains in their community as well as in the lives of those in need.
Josh McGee leads the Laura and John Arnold Foundation’s Results-Driven Government team, which is aimed at helping governments make public services more effective and efficient. The team pursues philanthropic opportunities to support evidence-based decision making and sustainable public finance.
This essay is part of a series titled, Accelerate This! Government as Social Innovator, which features leaders at the intersection of philanthropy and government offering ideas about how non-public dollars can be used to drive innovation and systemic change on complex social issues. The Accelerate This!Government as Social Innovator national symposium will take on May 1, 2018 in Los Angeles and feature systems-changing innovations from cities that can be adapted for your community. The event is part of the City Accelerator, an initiative led by Living Cities and supported by the Citi Foundation. For more information, click here.
