Letter From PRB President Bill Butz
(February 2011) After seven years as PRB's president, I'm leaving in February for a new position at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, in Vienna, Austria.
Transitions encourage assessment: of oneself, one's organization, and the world. Here are mine, first about PRB and myself, then about the world. Luckily over the course of my career, I've worked only in stimulating, top-of-their-class organizations. Among these, PRB is the best. Our mission is clear. My colleagues on the staff and Board are passionate about this mission. The evidence—what's true about the world—fuels their passion but also tempers it from time to time. These characteristics, plus just the friendly and helpful nature of the organization, make PRB a lovely place to do some good in the world. Our sponsors, donors, partners, and constituents are also passionate about our mission. And I've seen you time and time again embrace the evidence, even when it discomforts. How I have enjoyed our personal interactions, gaining strength and direction from your critiques and suggestions!
In comparison, the world is a mixed picture. By nature, I tend to look at the half-full side. Where there are gains—girls' schooling, contraceptive prevalence, fertility reduction, life expectancy, living standards—let us trumpet these, drawing from them the evidence that guides our prescriptions for the future. The half-empty view too often encourages those who would retreat rather than try anew or again. The half-full view, buttressed by data and analysis, encourages those who want to see progress continue.
In the path from research to human progress: data→research→translation→dissemination→policymaking and decisionmaking→well-being, every gap is large and each transition uncertain. I am convinced that the fastest-growing gap and the most critical transition are between data and research on the one hand, and policymaking and decisionmaking on the other. More is now known about what succeeds in the policy and program arenas of population, health, and the environment than ever before; and even though many policymakers and other decisionmakers make more use of this knowledge than ever before, that use—even when supported by good will and science—seems to fall ever farther behind.
PRB works this gap between what is known and what is used. In my new job, I will continue to work to close this same gap, as many of you do every day. Let's keep it up...and keep our chins up. It's worth it.
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