Citing regional development principles embodied in the Recovery Act, OMB has issued guidance outlining policy principles to advance regional and location-specific – “place-based” – budget planning for the fiscal 2011 budget.
According to M-09-28, “A systematic review of how a wide range of federal policies affect the development of urban, suburban, and rural America is long overdue.”
It said a review of the government’s place-based strategy would help the White House to revise policy and programs to reflect both local contexts and national priorities, such as economic and environmental sustainability.
The memo calls on agencies to identify three to five place-based programs or initiatives that show special promise for achieving better outcomes, whether a place-based approach is well established or is newly proposed.
For each, agencies should indicate outcomes, indicators, options for improving coordination and effectiveness, and knowledge-building strategies. OMB said it would weigh those responses throughout the policy development process for the fiscal 2011 budget.
OMB said three principles should guide to agencies as they review place-based policies or review their programs for opportunities to implement place-based policy:
Clear, measurable and carefully evaluated goals should guide investment and regulation;
Change comes from the community level and often through partnership; complex problems require flexible, integrated solutions; and,
Many important challenges demand a regional approach.
