Improving Anti-Drug Budgeting - Softcover

Murphy University Of Central Florida, Patrick; Liston, Timothy; Thaler, David; Webb, Kathi; Davis, Lynn E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0833029150 ISBN 13: 9780833029157

Publisher: RAND Corporation, 2001

Synopsis

The United States spends over $16 billion a year to fight drugs, or so the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has certified over the past few years. What confidence is there that this budget accurately reflects federal expenditures on antidrug activities? The agencies that compile the antidrug budgets use a variety of calculation methods, some of which are problematic. Although the drug-control budget will necessarily always be a collection of estimates, it can be significantly improved, by establishing common principles to guide the calculations and by basing them on empirical data. Such steps would provide ONDCP with the ability to implement strategies and hold agencies accountable for their performance. This is essential for the ONDCP Director to be able to direct and coordinate the nation's antidrug programs and for the American people to be confident about what resources are actually being spent on antidrug activities.

About this title

From the Publisher:

In 1988, Congress created the Office of National Drug Control Policy(ONDCP) to coordinate the nation's antidrug programs and activities.Each year the president submits a drug control budget request-ingfunds to carry out his overall National Drug Control Strategy.That budget is based on certifications the ONDCP Director has madeas to the adequacy of the budget requests of the over 50 departmentsengaged in antidrug activities. What confidence can Congress havein these budget figures? This study undertook to answer this questionthrough an analysis of the drug-budget methodologies used inten antidrug agencies. Our conclusion is that real problems exist inseven of these cases, and steps need to be taken in the future for theONDCP Director to be able to carry out his statutory responsibilities.ONDCP sponsored this study. It was conducted at RAND throughthe Drug Policy Research Center and the S&T Policy Institute.THE DRUG POLICY RESEARCH CENTERThe Drug Policy Research Center was established in 1989 to conductthe empirical research, policy analysis, and outreach needed to helpcommunity leaders and public officials develop more effectivestrategies for dealing with drug problems. The center builds on along tradition of RAND research characterized by an interdisciplinary,empirical approach to public policy issues and rigorousstandards of quality, objectivity, and independence. The Ford Foundationand other foundations, as well as government agencies, corporations,and individuals, support the Center. Dr. Audrey Burnamand Dr. Martin Iguchi codirect the Drug Policy Research Center. The Drug Policy Research Center is a joint endeavor of RAND CriminalJustice and RAND Health.THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY INSTITUTEOriginally created by Congress in 1991 as the Critical TechnologiesInstitute and renamed in 1998, the Science and Technology PolicyInstitute is a federally funded research and development centersponsored by the National Science Foundation and managed byRAND. The Institute's mission is to help improve public policy byconducting objective, independent research and analysis on policyissues that involve science and technology. To this end, the Institutesupports the Office of Science and Technology Policy and otherExecutive Branch agencies and offices, and consults broadly withrepresentatives from private industry, institutions of higher education,and other nonprofit institutions. Bruce Don is the Director ofthe S&T Policy Institute.

About the Author:

David Elliot Thaler (M.I.A., International Security Policy, Columbia University) is an IPA Fellow, HQ/USAF, Directorate of Programs and Evaluation, Resource Analyses Division, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

About this edition

• Publisher: RAND Corporation
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0833029150
• ISBN 13: 9780833029157
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 140