Helped tens of thousands of New Jerseyans engage with State officials on policy making and spending decisions

To better serve residents and improve State programs and services, the Office of Innovation’s Data + Policy Team works with State agencies to leverage key insights from data, evidence, research, and performance evaluation.

Challenge

Data, evidence-based research, and performance evaluation serve as powerful tools for addressing complex public challenges, improving policy decision-making, and supporting project improvement strategies. However, teams and projects often lack the capacity and expertise to employ a data-driven approach to make strategic decisions that improve program and service outcomes.

Innovation In Action

The Data + Policy Team employs a variety of tools, strategies, and services to help State partners better serve the public. These services include deploying data visualization and reporting tools, leveraging statistical data modeling and analysis, A/B testing and experimentation, designing surveys to optimize response rates and insights, conducting evidence-based policy reviews, and implementing innovative platforms to better engage with the public.

Impact

• To inform how more than $100 million annually in funds earmarked for sustainability funding should be allocated, the Team engaged with the public using an innovative survey tool. By the end of the four-week voting period, 6,370 New Jerseyans engaged with the campaign, made selections 24,414 times and submitted 163 ideas.
• By supporting upgrades to a key data analytics platform, the Business Experience team was better able to understand how current and aspiring business owners are accessing content and services.
• Your Future of Work, a problem identification consultation, was launched in partnership with the New Jersey Future of Work Task Force. The project engaged over 4,000 workers to understand how a changing economy and technology were impacting their jobs, and the results informed the Task Force’s final report and recommendations to the Governor.

Partners

• Office of the Governor
• NJ Department of Environmental Protection
• NJ State Office of the Secretary of Higher Education

What New Jerseyans See

Read More

See the latest at the Data + Policy project page.