In 2025, the Levin Center conducted a study of all 50 states to examine how legislatures ensure government programs work effectively for citizens. Factors such as legislative oversight committees, routine engagement with executive agencies, collection of casework data, digital transparency tools, and user-centered policy evaluation were of particular importance. The full report can be found here.
State Summary #
In Louisiana, as in many states, most available evidence points to committee testimony coming mainly from agency leadership rather than frontline staff or end-users of programs, even though citizens can complete a “witness form” for hearings.
The Louisiana Performance Accountability System, a product of the state’s Division of Administration developed in service of the state’s performance-based budgeting system, shows in remarkable detail the key performance indicators and progress toward those indicators of every state agency and its subsidiary units. This data goes as far back as 1998 and includes such wide-ranging and user-centered information as “Percent of calls to [child welfare hotline] answered directly by intake workers (not voice mail)” and “percentage of individual income tax refunds ready to be issued within 90 days of receipt of tax return.”
