Building Better Public Sector Data

For public institutions and community organizations to work effectively in the interests of all they serve, they need the infrastructure to identify and implement research, policy, and operational strategies. A critical part of this infrastructure is data and analytic capacity to support data-driven decision making, both in the day-to-day work of individual staff and in the development of agency-wide policies and practices. Data are critical for helping decision-makers diagnose problems, assess whether solutions are working and why, provide an objective standard against which to measure progress, and promote transparency and accountability. 

Our Solution: Support Building Data & Analytic Capacity

A key part of the mission at CUNY ISLG is to help government and community organizations develop this data-driven infrastructure. The ultimate goal is to advance policies, programs, and practices that are more efficient, effective, and equitable.  

Recognizing the unique difficulties that public institutions and community organizations face in collecting and using data, CUNY ISLG’s experts draw on their own data and analytic experience in these sectors to help partners develop concrete, practical strategies for building this capacity and sustaining it over time. 

The Data and Analytic Capacity-Building (DACB) support involves two phases: 

  1. A data wellness check of a partner’s current capacity to collect and use data 

  1. Implementation of data infrastructure improvements 

CUNY ISLG’s model is flexible in scope, scale, and level of assistance provided to partners. Depending on needs and/or interests, staff can: 

  • Carry out one or both phases of work; 

  • Focus data and analytic capacity-building broadly or related to a specific policy or practice interest. 

This brief details how CUNY ISLG staff work with governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, and other partners to effectively collect, maintain, and use data, especially in the face of time and resource constraints. 

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