History of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy (OASP) was established in 1963; the original name was the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning and Research (ASPPR). This office replaced a small research and development unit headed by a Deputy Assistant Secretary, which had carried out long-range research and evaluation studies since 1956.

ASPPR was created at the urging of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, then an executive assistant to Secretary Willard Wirtz. Moynihan was appointed the first Assistant Secretary to head the new office. The mission of the Office was to assist the Secretary in developing economic and social policy initiatives. The Office also coordinated policy development for existing Department programs, coordinated research programs throughout the Department, and oversaw the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). When Mr. Moynihan left in 1965 the Agency reverted to an Office within the Office of the Secretary, and BLS regained its independent status. Philip Arnow, a distinguished economist and the namesake of the Department's most prestigious annual service award, was appointed director.

Secretary George Shultz restored the Office to the Assistant Secretary level in 1969, renaming it as the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Evaluation, and Research (ASPER). To assist the Department in evaluating its programs, ASPER provided the Secretary with policy analysis, program planning advice, program evaluation, and economic research. The head of the Office also served as chair on the Program and Budget Review Committee (PBRC) which acted as a review body for plans and resource requirements for the major programs of the Department. In 1972, ASPER was given responsibility for coordinating the Department's internal program evaluations efforts. ASPER also assumed the additional task of performing economic evaluations as part of its role as advisor to the Secretary.

In 1977 Secretary Ray Marshall merged into ASPER a small office of macroeconomic policy review that had reported to the Secretary. This office supported the Secretary in his Cabinet role as an economic advisor to the President. In addition to macroeconomic policy analysis, ASPER's role in these years was to develop Department policy positions and coordinate the involvement of other parts of the Department; relatively less emphasis was given to resource allocation issues within the Department.

A major change in the structure and functions of the Office occurred in 1982 under Secretary Ray Donovan. The name of the office was changed to Assistant Secretary for Policy (ASP) and it was restructured and down-sized. The basic focus was narrowed to quantitative economic and policy analysis for the Secretary. The Office advised the Secretary on economic and policy analysis for the Secretary. The Office advised the Secretary on economic aspects of issues presented by the new Policy Review Group, and worked closely with the Secretary on a number of key policy issues. ASP played a major role in the changes to public services employment programs and in the shift from CETA to JTPA. During 1982-84, the research focus in ASP shifted from a Departmental coordination role to that of developing and funding its own research agenda.

When William Brock became Secretary in 1985 he ordered a review of the Department's policy making process which led to the establishment of the Policy Review Board (PRB). The PRB served as the Secretary's primary advisory body on all major policy areas, with special emphasis on regulatory issues. The Under Secretary, the Solicitor, and the Assistant Secretaries served as members. Staff support of the PRB became the primary activity of OASP.

Beginning in 1993, under Secretary Robert Reich, the PRB process was discontinued and the Office assumed major roles in forming Department-wide policy teams, planning the Departmental budget, developing labor legislation, and facilitating the regulatory and enforcement process.

In addition, the Office led the Department in developing innovative information technology. It created and managed the Departmental Web site, organized a Knowledge Management Conference, and planned, designed, and implemented elaws, an interactive informational system attached to the Departmental Web site for employers and employees.