The late George Stigler, a Nobel Laureate in economics, once remarked, “At most only a tiny set of policies have been studied with even moderate care.” Prof. Stigler’s conclusion holds true at the national, state, and local levels of government. Here in Maryland, the paucity of serious analysis of state and local government policy, while significant, is not unusual.
I have had some first-hand experience with policymaking and policy evaluation in Maryland. Allow me to reflect. When Marvin Mandel became Maryland’s 56th Governor in 1969, he acknowledged that the analysis of government programs was long overdue. To inform his governance, independent of state lobbyists and legislators, one of former Governor Mandel’s initial acts was to establish Maryland’s first (and last) Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors. The Council was mandated to conduct economic and financial analysis of government programs and policies and to advise the Governor in confidence.
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