What is Results-Based Accountability?
RBA is a disciplined way of thinking and taking action that can be used to improve the quality of life in communities, cities, states, territories and nations. RBA can also be used to improve the performance of programs, agencies and service systems.
How does it work?
RBA starts with ends and works backward, step by step, to means. For communities, the ends are conditions of wellbeing for children, adults, families and the community as a whole such as "Residents with Good Jobs", "Children Ready for School", "A Safe Neighbourhood", or "A Clean Environment". For services, the ends are how customers are better off when the program works the way it should such as the percent of people in a job training program who get and keep good paying jobs.
About Mark Friedman
Mark Friedman is a speaker, consultant and author of the book Trying Hard Is Not Good Enough: How to Produce Measurable Improvements for Customers and Communities. Mr Friedman directs the Fiscal Policy Studies Institute (FPSI) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His work has been used in over 40 US states and countries around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway. Before founding FPSI in 1996, Mr Friedman served as a senior associate at the Center for the Study of Social Policy in Washington, D.C. And before that, Mr Friedman served for 19 years in the Maryland Department of Human Resources, including six years as the department's chief financial officer.