The Role of Nonprofits in Designing and Implementing Evidence-Based Programs

• Author: James X. Sullivan
• DOI: 10.1177/0002716218769035
• Published date: 01 July 2018
• Date: 01 July 2018
• Subject Matter: The Contributions of Institutions

ANNALS, AAPSS, 678, July 2018 155

DOI: 10.1177/0002716218769035

The Role of

Nonprofits in

Designing and

Implementing

Evidence-Based

Programs

By

JAMES X. SULLIVAN

769035ANN The Annals Of The American AcademyRole Of Nonprofits In Evidence-Based Programs

research-article2018

Human service nonprofits are a major provider of social

services in this country, spending billions of dollars

each year implementing programs to improve out-

comes for their clients. Unfortunately, these programs

are typically not rigorously evaluated to determine

whether they are having their intended effect. Many

obstacles make it challenging to rigorously evaluate

services provided by these nonprofits, including evalu-

ation costs, limited access to data, and small sample

sizes, but these obstacles are surmountable. Policy-

makers could accelerate the pace and quality of evi-

dence building by providing more resources for impact

evaluations, streamlining and standardizing access to

key administrative data, and expanding support for the

replication of effective programs. Better evidence of

what works for human service nonprofits will ultimately

mean more effective programs at the national level.

Keywords: nonprofit; impact evaluation; evidence-

based policymaking; social programs

In recent years, policy-makers, researchers,

and advocacy groups have increasingly

emphasized evidence-based policymaking, that

is, the idea that policy decisions should be

shaped by rigorous evidence.1 Congressional

commissions have addressed the topic, and

books have highlighted its emergence.2 More

than ever, government agencies are relying on

evidence for decisions about how to allocate

resources through merit-based grants.

Proponents of evidence-based policymaking

argue that if we spend scarce resources on

effective programs, public and private funds

would have a much larger impact on the lives of

people living in poverty.3

Correspondence: jsulliv4@nd.edu

James X. Sullivan is the Rev. Thomas J. McDonagh,

C.S.C., Associate Professor of Economics at the

University of Notre Dame, and the director of the

Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities. His

current research focuses on measuring the effect of

domestic antipoverty programs.