22 U.S.C. § 2732b — Improving research and evaluation of public diplomacy
submitted 5 years ago by Pub. L. 117-81 to r/title-22-FOREIGN-RELATIONS-AND-INTERCOURSE · 940 words · no verdicts yet
The Department must regularly research and evaluate its public-diplomacy work and appoint a Director of Research and Evaluation. The section also sets research priorities, limited information-collection and privacy rules, and an advisory subcommittee’s reporting duty.
(a) Research and evaluation. Through the Director appointed under (b), the Secretary must (1) regularly research and evaluate Department public-diplomacy programs and activities, routinely using audience research, digital analytics, and impact evaluations to plan and carry them out, and (2) make the findings available to Congress. (b) Director. (1) Within 90 days after December 27, 2021, the Secretary must appoint a Director of Research and Evaluation in the Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. (2) The appointment may not increase the Department’s total full-time-equivalent positions. (3) The Director must: (A) coordinate and oversee research and evaluation to improve strategies and tactics and ensure programs increase relevant audiences’ knowledge, understanding, and trust of the United States; (B) routinely organize and oversee audience research, digital analytics, and impact evaluations across all public-diplomacy bureaus and offices; (C) support public-affairs sections at United States diplomatic posts; (D) share appropriate information within the Department and with other appropriate Federal agencies; (E) regularly design and coordinate standard questions, methods, and procedures so programs meet suitable foreign-policy goals; and (F) report twice each year to the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy through its Research and Evaluation Subcommittee about all bureaus’ and offices’ research and evaluation. (4) Within one year after appointment, the Director must develop guidance and training, including Foreign Service Institute curriculum, for all Department public-diplomacy officers on reading evaluation findings and applying findings and lessons learned in planning and evaluating programs. (c) Priorities. (1) The head of the Office must ensure the Director’s work supports strategic planning and resource allocation across all public-diplomacy bureaus and offices. (2) Funds allocated for research and evaluation must be available for the Director to distribute among research and evaluation staff across those bureaus and offices. (3) Congress expresses its view that the Department should gradually increase funds from “Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs” and “Diplomatic Programs” for this research to a share consistent with Federal best practices. (d) Paperwork Reduction Act. Chapter 35 of title 44, commonly called the Paperwork Reduction Act, does not apply to information collected from individuals by or for the Department for audience research, monitoring, and evaluation connected with: (1) the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961; (2) section 1287 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017; or (3) the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. (e) Privacy Act. (1) The Department must maintain, collect, use, and distribute records, as “records” is defined in 5 U.S.C. § 552a(a)(4), for audience research, digital analytics, and impact evaluation of communications for foreign audiences. (2) That work must be reasonably tailored to this subsection’s purposes and done with due regard for privacy and civil-liberties guidance and oversight. (f) Advisory Commission. (1) The Commission must establish a Research and Evaluation Subcommittee to monitor and advise about audience research, digital analytics, and impact evaluations by the Department and the United States Agency for Global Media. (2) The Subcommittee must annually report to the appropriate congressional committees, together with the Commission’s comprehensive annual performance report, all actions it took and findings it made.
The Secretary, acting through the Director of Research and Evaluation appointed pursuant to subsection (b), shall—
conduct regular research and evaluation of public diplomacy programs and activities of the Department, including through the routine use of audience research, digital analytics, and impact evaluations, to plan and execute such programs and activities; and
make available to Congress the findings of the research and evaluations conducted under paragraph (1).
Not later than 90 days after December 27, 2021, the Secretary shall appoint a Director of Research and Evaluation (referred to in this subsection as the “Director”) in the Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs of the Department.
The appointment of the Director pursuant to paragraph (1) shall not result in an increase in the overall full-time equivalent positions within the Department.
The Director shall—
coordinate and oversee the research and evaluation of public diplomacy programs and activities of the Department in order to—
improve public diplomacy strategies and tactics; and
ensure that such programs and activities are increasing the knowledge, understanding, and trust of the United States by relevant target audiences;
routinely organize and oversee audience research, digital analytics, and impact evaluations across all public diplomacy bureaus and offices of the Department;
support United States diplomatic posts’ public affairs sections;
share appropriate public diplomacy research and evaluation information within the Department and with other appropriate Federal departments and agencies;
regularly design and coordinate standardized research questions, methodologies, and procedures to ensure that public diplomacy programs and activities across all public diplomacy bureaus and offices are designed to meet appropriate foreign policy objectives; and
report biannually to the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, through the Subcommittee on Research and Evaluation established pursuant to subsection (f), regarding the research and evaluation of all public diplomacy bureaus and offices.
Not later than 1 year after the appointment of the Director pursuant to paragraph (1), the Director shall develop guidance and training, including curriculum for use by the Foreign Service Institute, for all public diplomacy officers of the Department regarding the reading and interpretation of public diplomacy program and activity evaluation findings to ensure that such findings and related lessons learned are implemented in the planning and evaluation of all public diplomacy programs and activities of the Department.
The head of the Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs of the Department shall ensure that research and evaluation of public diplomacy and activities of the Department, as coordinated and overseen by the Director pursuant to subsection (b), supports strategic planning and resource allocation across all public diplomacy bureaus and offices of the Department.
Amounts allocated for the purpose of research and evaluation of public diplomacy programs and activities of the Department pursuant to subsection (b) shall be made available to be disbursed at the direction of the Director of Research and Evaluation among the research and evaluation staff across all public diplomacy bureaus and offices of the Department.
It is the sense of Congress that the Department should gradually increase its allocation of funds made available under the headings “Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs” and “Diplomatic Programs” for research and evaluation of public diplomacy programs and activities of the Department pursuant to subsection (b) to a percentage of program funds that is commensurate with Federal Government best practices.
Chapter 35 of title 44 (commonly known as the “Paperwork Reduction Act”) shall not apply to the collection of information directed at any individuals conducted by, or on behalf of, the Department of State for the purpose of audience research, monitoring, and evaluations, and in connection with the Department’s activities conducted pursuant to any of the following:
The Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2451 et seq.).
Section 1287 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note).
The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.).
The Department shall maintain, collect, use, and disseminate records (as such term is defined in section 552a(a)(4) of title 5) for audience research, digital analytics, and impact evaluation of communications related to public diplomacy efforts intended for foreign audiences.
Audience research, digital analytics, and impact evaluations under paragraph (1) shall be—
reasonably tailored to meet the purposes of this subsection; and
carried out with due regard for privacy and civil liberties guidance and oversight.
The United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy shall establish a Subcommittee on Research and Evaluation to monitor and advise regarding audience research, digital analytics, and impact evaluations carried out by the Department and the United States Agency for Global Media.
The Subcommittee on Research and Evaluation established pursuant to paragraph (1) shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees an annual report, in conjunction with the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy’s Comprehensive Annual Report on the performance of the Department and the United States Agency for Global Media, describing all actions taken by the Subcommittee pursuant to paragraph (1) and any findings made as a result of such actions.
Source credit: (Pub. L. 117–81, div. E, title LVI, § 5603, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2377.)
- 2021Enacted · Pub. L. 117-81 · 135 Stat. 2377
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 117-81 on 2021-12-27.
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