Key National Indicator Systems:
A U.S. Perspective
Bernice Steinhardt
Director, Strategic Issues
U.S. Government Accountability Office
The 21st Century:
A Period of Profound Transition
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Changing security threats
Long-term fiscal and environmental sustainability
Economic recovery and restored growth
Global interdependency
Demographic and other social change
Advancements in science and technology
Public expectations of government
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Implications for U.S. Government
• Many of the current policies, programs, functions, and
activities are based on conditions that existed decades ago
and are not well aligned with 21st century realities.
• We cannot afford to continue to do business as usual.
• Accomplishing U.S. government goals will increasingly rely
on strengthened mechanisms for collaboration.
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Key National Indicators and Governance
in the 21st Century
• U.S. government increasingly has to partner with other
governments, other levels of government, private and not-forprofit sectors, to achieve results. Examples:
• Disaster planning, response and recovery
• Environmental protection
• Public health
• Need tools and metrics to link efforts
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Role of Key National Indicator System
 Inform strategic planning (link shared purposes)
 Enhance performance and accountability
 Inform congressional oversight and decision making
 Facilitate oversight, and stimulate greater citizen
engagement
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History of Key National Indicators in the
United States
• Numerous sets of national-level indicators in response to
changing needs and conditions:
• Economic indicators developed during the Great
Depression of the 1930s
• Growth in social programs in the 1960s drove need for
social indicators (e.g., education, health)
• Concern for environmental protection led to interest in
developing environmental data
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Subnational Indicator Systems in U.S.
• While lacking a national indicator system, considerable
interest and activity at the city, state and regional levels
during last 20 years
• Learning-oriented: information about social, cultural,
economic, environmental conditions, presented with little
or no commentary or analysis, for educational purposes
• Outcome-oriented: indicators used to monitor and
encourage progress toward goals
• About 150 community, state or regional indicator projects
across the U.S.
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Efforts to Develop National Indicator
System for U.S.
• GAO, in cooperation with National Academy of Sciences,
convened forum in 2003 to discuss whether and how to
create key national indicator system for U.S.
• About 60 leaders in accountability, business, education,
NGO, government, labor, media, minority, scientific, and
statistics communities
• Efforts continued over next several years under leadership of
National Academy
• Independent non-profit organization created in 2007: State of
the USA
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State of the USA
(www.stateoftheusa.org)
• Envisioned as public-private partnership, supported by
government and non-government sectors
• All sectors involved in achieving national goals have a
stake in outcomes
• Vital to have shared understanding in order to link efforts
towards common goal
• Expect to develop about 300 key indicators, including some
number of composite indicators in 12 core domains (e.g.,
environment) and 12 cross-cutting domains (e.g,
competitiveness)
• Created 20 key health indicators in 2009
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Congressional Action to Develop
a KNI System
• In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of
2010 (P.L. 111-148) included a provision mandating
• the National Academy to establish a U.S. key national indicator
system through its own institutional capability or in partnership
with an independent, private, nonprofit organization; and
• creation of a bipartisan Commission on Key National Indicators
composed of eight members, appointed by congressional
leadership, to provide oversight of such a system, among other
responsibilities.
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GAO Role in Legislation
• Act also directed GAO to study previous work
conducted by public agencies, private organizations, or
foreign countries with respect to best practices for a key
national indicator system.
• GAO study also subject of a request from Senate
committee chairman to examine other KNI systems and
their implications for federal government.
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Research Objectives for GAO Study
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Examine trends in development and maintenance of indicator
systems and experiences of key stakeholders
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Identify how indicator systems have been used by governments
and stakeholders in policy and management decisions
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Identify factors affecting development and use of indicator systems
and their potential implications for (a) the organization responsible
for developing and overseeing a key national indicator system and
(b) the federal government as data provider and user
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Report to be issued March 2011
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Scope of GAO Study: Case Study Selection
Criteria
 Comprehensiveness - a mixture of economic,
environmental, and social and cultural indicators.
 Longevity - in existence for at least 5 years and
currently in operation.
 Outcome-oriented – measures of progress towards
achievement of stated goals or outcomes.
 Connection with a governmental entity that uses the
system to establish or modify programmatic priorities or
to gauge progress in priority areas.
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Indicator Systems Selected as
Case Studies
• National: Australia, Switzerland, United Kingdom
• State: Virginia; Victoria, Australia
• Local: Boston, MA; King County, WA
• Focused reviews of other indicator systems:
• Albuquerque, NM; Jacksonville, FL;Truckee, CA;
Oregon; the European Union, Lisbon Indicators;
Finland; Latvia.
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Potential Roles for GAO in Future
• Assess development of indicators or system
• Audit quality of information, including validity and
reliability
• Audit effectiveness of KNI system in achieving
objectives
• Use indicator data to help target improvement
opportunities
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For Further Information
• About GAO—www.gao.gov
• Prior GAO work on Key National Indicators
• Informing Our Nation: Improving How to Understand and
Assess the USA’s Position and
Progresswww.gao.gov/products/GAO-05-1
• Controller General Forum on Key National Indicators
www.gao.gov/products/GAO-03-672SP
• Key National Indicators Mandate
• H.R. 3590, Public Law 111-148, Title V, Subtitle G, Section
5605
• Available at www.thomas.loc.gov
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