The Next Government: Transparency & Accountability

Transparency and accountability are an integral part of citizens’ trust in government. Citizen awareness of outcomes linked to tax dollars is essential for the democratic process and to ensure equity, efficiency, and effectiveness. In recent years, the increased use of information technology has helped government better publicize information and has allowed citizens to realize greater access to government.

The keystone initiative in performance and accountability at the federal level in recent years has been the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART), developed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 2002. PART is a performance measurement device that evaluates the effectiveness of federal programs through a common rubric of 25 questions.
Examples of PART questions include: “Is the program designed so that it is not redundant or duplicative of any other federal, state, local, or private effort?” and “Has the program demonstrated adequate progress in achieving its long-term performance goals?” PART is a logical outgrowth of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), a Clinton-era reform that directed federal agencies to build performance measurement into their operations.
PART surveys have been administered for virtually every federal program (1,016 thus far), with each program receiving a grade of “Effective,” “Moderately Effective,” “Adequate,” “Ineffective”, or “Results Not Demonstrated.” Programs receiving any of the first three ratings are designated as “Performing.” Seventy-eight percent of federal programs have received a "Performing" designation to date. OMB posts its results on its expectmore.gov website, which explains the assessment system further. Another new tool includes Results.gov, an administration-operated website that reports on the progress agencies are making towards meeting their performance goals.

For further information:

www.expectmore.gov
www.results.gov
White House Executive Order on Performance (November 2007)
OMB – The Latest Guidance for Federal Agencies on PART (November 2007)
Running the Light: An analysis of the Bust traffic-light system to rate agency management since 2001 (December 2007)
OMB Chief Talks Management: An interview with Director Rob Portman
Mercatus Center at George Mason University
8th Annual Performance Report Card: Which Federal Agenceis Best Inform the Public (April 2007