Sec. 202. Improving research and evaluation of public diplomacy
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The Secretary of State 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 the findings of the research and evaluations conducted under paragraph
(1)available to Congress. Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall appoint a Director of Research and Evaluation in the Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. The appointment of a Director of Research and Evaluation pursuant to paragraph
(1)shall not result in an increase in the overall full-time equivalent positions within the Department. The Director of Research and Evaluation shall— coordinate and oversee the research and evaluation of public diplomacy programs of the Department of State— to improve public diplomacy strategies and tactics; and to ensure that programs are increasing the knowledge, understanding, and trust of the United States among relevant target audiences; report to the Director of Policy and Planning in the Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources under the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs of the Department; routinely organize and oversee audience research, digital analytics, and impact evaluations across all public diplomacy bureaus and offices of the Department; support embassy public affairs sections; share appropriate public diplomacy research and evaluation information within the Department and with other Federal departments and agencies; regularly design and coordinate standardized research questions, methodologies, and procedures to ensure that public diplomacy 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 Commission’s Subcommittee on Research and Evaluation established pursuant to subsection (f), regarding the research and evaluation of all public diplomacy bureaus and offices of the Department. Not later than one year after the appointment of the Director of Research and Evaluation pursuant to paragraph (1), the Director shall create guidance and training for all public diplomacy officers regarding the reading and interpretation of public diplomacy program evaluation findings to ensure that such findings and lessons learned are implemented in the planning and evaluation of all public diplomacy programs and activities throughout the Department. The Director of Policy, Planning, and Resources shall ensure that research and evaluation, as coordinated and overseen by the Director of Research and Evaluation, supports strategic planning and resource allocation across all public diplomacy bureaus and offices of the Department. Amounts allocated for the purposes of research and evaluation of public diplomacy programs and activities pursuant to subsection
(a)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 Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs of the Department of State should coordinate the human and financial resources that support the Department’s public diplomacy and public affairs programs and activities; proposals or plans related to resource allocations for public diplomacy bureaus and offices should be routed through the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs for review and clearance; and the Department should allocate, for the purposes of research and evaluation of public diplomacy activities and programs pursuant to subsection (a)— 3 to 5 percent of program funds made available under the heading ; and educational and cultural exchange programs 3 to 5 percent of program funds allocated for public diplomacy programs under the heading . diplomatic and consular programs Chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code (commonly known as the Paperwork Reduction Act ) shall not apply to collections of information directed at foreign 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 the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 ( 22 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.), 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), or 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, United States Code) for research and data analysis of public diplomacy efforts intended for foreign audiences. Such research and data analysis shall be reasonably tailored to meet the purposes of this subsection and shall be carried out with due regard for privacy and civil liberties guidance and oversight. The Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy shall establish a Subcommittee for Research and Evaluation to monitor and advise on the research and evaluation activities of the Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors. The Subcommittee for Research and Evaluation established pursuant to paragraph
(1)shall submit an annual report to Congress in conjunction with the Commission on Public Diplomacy’s Comprehensive Annual Report on the performance of the Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors in carrying out research and evaluations of their respective public diplomacy programming. Section 1334 of the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 ( 22 U.S.C. 6553 ) is hereby repealed. In this section: The term audience research means research conducted at the outset of a public diplomacy program or campaign planning and design on specific audience segments to understand the attitudes, interests, knowledge, and behaviors of such audience segments. The term digital analytics means the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, accumulated in digital format, to indicate the outputs and outcomes of a public diplomacy program or campaign. The term impact evaluation means an assessment of the changes in the audience targeted by a public diplomacy program or campaign that can be attributed to such program or campaign. The term public diplomacy bureaus and offices means the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Bureau of Public Affairs, the Bureau of International Information Programs, the Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources, the Global Engagement Center, and the public diplomacy functions within the regional and functional bureaus.
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Sec. 202
Improving research and evaluation of public diplomacy
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