Results First helps states assess the costs and benefits of policy options and use that data to make decisions based on results.
Why Cost-Benefit Analysis Matters
In the current fiscal environment, most states face tough budget choices and lack the resources to support traditional levels of public services. Increasingly, policy makers seek programs and policies that yield the greatest benefits in the most cost-effective way. Rigorous analysis of available research can help state leaders:
- Systematically identify which programs work and which do not;
- Calculate potential returns on investment of funding alternative programs;
- Rank programs based on their projected benefits, costs, and investment risks;
- Identify ineffective programs that could be targeted for cuts or elimination; and
- Predict the impact of different policy options.
What Policy Makers Say about Cost-Benefit Analysis
Republican and Democratic leaders in Washington State report that this new approach, developed by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, has helped produce bipartisan policies that improved results while saving more than a billion dollars.
"I came from the business sector where we relied on evidence on what was a good investment. In the legislature, I realized we needed to do the same thing. Otherwise, you make decisions based on opinions and anecdotes or one person’s favorite study that may be the exception."
—Skip Priest (R), former ranking Republican, Washington State House Committee on Education
"We have research showing ways to lower the crime rate and save money by investing in preventing crime in the first place. It has allowed us to consider policies that are the most effective even if they don’t sound like a sound bite."
—Senator Jim Hargrove (D), chair, Washington State Senate Committee on Human Services and Corrections
How We Conduct Our Work
We offer tools to states that more accurately assess the true costs and benefits of public programs. This allows policy makers to identify options that yield the greatest return on investment for taxpayers.
We also help states build a climate for decision-making based on research and evidence. This allows states to eliminate ineffective programs and shift resources to those that generate better outcomes for their citizens.
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- Analysis
- Results First
Better Programs, Better Results
This case study focuses on quality assurance monitoring in juvenile justice programs in Washington state—which has led the way in using cutting-edge cost-benefit analysis to guide its budget and policy choices. more
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- Report
- Results First
Return on Investment
This report, from a Results First partner, offers a user-friendly look at the costs and benefits of evidence-based programs in the following areas: adult and juvenile criminal justice, child welfare, pre-K–12 education, adult and children’s mental health, and substance abuse. more
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- Opinion
- Results First
The Dawn of the Evidence-Based Budget
Could this be the coming of age of “evidence-based policy making”?
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- Media Coverage
- Results First
Guest Blog: 13 States Get on Board for Cutting-Edge Cost-Benefit Analysis
In an era of persistent budget deficits, at least a dozen states are moving to adapt and implement a cutting-edge tool for policy research and analysis, beginning with criminal justice policy and eventually expanding to other areas. States are under increasing pressure to ensure that scarce resources are invested in programs that yield the best results. In addition, many policy makers are looking for information that would allow them to target cuts more strategically, rather than making across-the-board reductions that treat effective and ineffective programs alike.
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- Media Coverage
- Results First
The Cost-Benefit Imperative
While the states' revenues are beginning to recover, almost all of them expect to have less to spend in 2012 than they had in 2008, before the Great Recession began exacting its toll. Cost/benefit analysis can play a key role in helping government leaders make better decisions on allocating limited tax dollars.
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