Paul Ryan speaks at DeBartolo Center in Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Former congressman Paul Ryan spoke at Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center on Friday.

The main topic of discussion was evidence-based policymaking and the ways it can provide solutions for people who are experiencing poverty.

Ryan says that data and poverty correlate.

“Our whole goal is to move the war on poverty—poverty from federal programs and just focus on what works,” Ryan said. “And if you can stick with just data and academics and best practices and evidence, then you don’t have to have a big partisan fight.”

“Focus on outcomes and results versus inputs,” Ryan went on to say. “Get the government to stay ahead of the hackers and the data breaches and open this up for researchers so that they can lend their minds to helping us solve some of our big social problems.”

Ryan believes that focusing on the data eliminates partisan disagreements.

Ryan was recently hired by Notre Dame to be a law professor.