Measuring the Unobserved

Cracking the challenge of measuring unobserved behaviors – drug smuggling, tax fraud, counterfeiting, and illegal immigration – is key to developing better strategies and targeting resources in the right places to catch and deter illegal actions.

Five Methods for Measuring Unobserved Events: A Case Study of Federal Law Enforcement

Measuring program performance is relatively straightforward in many areas of government, such as social services, visa processing, and air traffic control.  But there are instances where assessing performance and success is much harder.  One particularly difficult area involves law enforcement, where a key goal is to prevent or deter bad outcomes – which can often happen without the knowledge of law enforcement officials.