Government agencies are created by legislative action or established by presidential order. In either case, each agency is set up for a specific purpose, such as the management of resources, financial oversight of industries, or national security issues. The types of data and information collected and provided by each agency varies with the agency's mission.
Of course, it's critical that each agency keeps records of its research findings and policy decisions, and these records must be made available to the public, whose taxes pay for that work. It's also important that the data produced by government agencies be easy to find and understand. If information is not captured in records that are accessible by electronic record-keeping systems, for instance, it will be difficult for anyone to find the information later. Poor documentation may result in an unresponsive government, a government that cannot account for its actions, or both.
Use the tabs below to learn how government records are created, collected, and shared.
Research
Information Sharing
Regulations
All agencies are expected to make decisions and create policies based on information gathered through research. Research goals may include determining what problems exist, identifying possible solutions to problems, and designing strategies to implement those solutions. This research is not always done by the agency itself. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), public-private government funded partnerships, often conduct research for the government and its agencies. These centers pull together scientists, technicians, and statisticians with specialized knowledge to tackle a specific problem such as an epidemic or crumbling infrastructure.
Why is research important for government agencies?
Solving the problem identified in the agency's mission statement requires the most accurate and current data; professional researchers know how to find that data and guide others in applying it.
Every agency we have discussed creates records of their research to share with other agencies and, in most cases, to disseminate it to the public. Making government records public allows people to take information already gathered and use it to inform their own research and advance the common good. The National Archive acquires, preserves, and publishes research records created or received by the federal government. Most of those records arrive in the form of typed documents, but they can come in a wide variety of media, such as maps and charts, architectural and engineering plans, aerial photographs, motion picture reels, video recordings, sound recordings, computer data sets, and still photographs.
How does record-keeping impact the general public?
Anyone can search the National Archive in person or online to find information for work or simply to satisfy his or her curiosity. Most agencies also maintain their own web sites where visitors can search for records that may help them make decisions about health and safety, financial matters, or legal issues.
Each government agency or department tends to develop its own regulations although the regulations must comply with the federal Administrative Procedure Act and/or with a state’s own agency oversight laws. In general, though, government agency are expected to base their regulations on detailed research about best practices, safety, and laws governing public access to information.
Why do agencies get to establish their own regulations?
The legislative branch (Congress) typically creates the laws that guide the work of each agency, but Congress lacks the time and resources to create detailed rules for executing those laws. They also lack the knowledge and expertise of the people hired by the agency to accomplish its specific mission. Regulations are likely to be more effective if developed by experts in the fields most closely related to the agency.
