Rhode Island Needs a People-, Not Data-, Driven Approach

One of my favorite moments from the series of joint legislative commission hearings to study the Sales Tax Repeal Act of 2013 was when John Simmons, the director of the Rhode Island Public Expenditures Council (RIPEC), stated, “I’m not a numbers person. I’ve been accused of it, but I don’t like numbers.”  Here’s the video (clip culled from Capitol TV coverage):

I emphasized the word “expenditures,” above, because expenditures tend to be numerical. It must make for a long workday to run an organization whose bread and butter you don’t like.

Recently, Simmons and RIPEC appeared in Investors Business Daily talking about what Rhode Island needs to do to turn its economy around, including this:

“The problems are so systemic and so far-reaching in terms of Rhode Island’s lack of competitiveness that we need to do everything,” said Kelly Rogers, RIPEC’s manager of policy and public affairs, in response. “We need to change the structure so that we have a more thoughtful data-driven approach.”

Simmons go on to emphasize the “thoughtful” part, meaning small adjustments over time.  That fits perfectly with my recent experience with state government and policy: In the hands of Rhode Island’s insiders, data bogs ideas down.  It’s always an excuse not to do something.

Their approach to being “data driven” is to be driven away from substantive reforms because the numbers look scary.  (Except, of course, when it looks like it means more money for them.) “Data driven” comes to mean that they stare at a model and try to find some gap they can use to game the system and maybe make some little progress, but definitely without taking any risks.

Don’t get me wrong; data is critical (and I happen to really like numbers).  It just isn’t a driver.  Principle is a driver.  People are drivers.

What Rhode Island needs is a people-driven approach based on the principle that individual Rhode Islanders know best what they need, what their opportunities are, and what they’ll strive to build.  And frankly, I don’t think you can ease into that approach without risk.

Races start with a gunshot or a bell, not a slow tip-toe so as not to awaken reality.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in The Ocean State Current, including text, graphics, images, and information are solely those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the views and opinions of The Current, the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity, or its members or staff. The Current cannot be held responsible for information posted or provided by third-party sources. Readers are encouraged to fact check any information on this web site with other sources.

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