Why This Matters

Equity assessment is the practice of quantitatively estimating what a proposed policy will mean for outcomes people care about, especially for those who, due to the design of current and past structures, are worse off economically. This report offers a methodology for assessing how and to what extent a policy or policy proposal improves or diminishes fairness.

Key Takeaways

Our most ambitious vision for equity assessment is equity scoring (quantitative estimates, not necessarily a scorecard). Alongside the mandatory and codified practice of budget scoring that already disaggregates most estimates by income groups, equity scoring would be governmentally embedded in the legislative process, where estimated improvements disaggregated by job, geography, housing, disability, race, or gender would inform policymakers, legislative staff, advocates, communities, and members of the public. This long-term vision requires a replicable and scalable equity scoring methodology, so the field can build capacity, confidence, and legitimacy.

How We Did It

We propose essential components of equity assessment that build on the widely used evaluation concepts of what works, for whom, and under what conditions, that require analysts to go beyond evaluations of short-term outputs. Because equity is about improvement in outcomes, our proposed method measures equity in three dimensions: within-group improvement, between-group improvement, and overall improvement. These dimensions provide a structure for determining whether people’s outcomes improve, worsen, or remain as is, along with how well the potential effects of the policy changes reflect fairness. These essential components are the building blocks for our equity assessment approach, which we present in five steps that other analysts can follow to inform decisions before legislation is passed.