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Wouter van Dooren

Performance Management in the Public Sector (Routledge Masters in Public Management) 1st Edition

by Wouter Van Dooren (Author)

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Public Management Reform: A Comparative Analysis - Into the Age of Austerity
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Tackling the key topics of reform and modernization, this important new book systematically examines performance in public management systems. The authors present this seminal subject in an informative and accessible manner, tackling some of the most important themes.

Performance Management in the Public Sector takes as its point of departure a broad definition of performance to redefine major and basic mechanisms in public administration, both theoretically and in practice. The book:

situates performance in some of the current public management debates;
discusses the many definitions of ‘performance’ and how it has become one of the contested agendas of public management;
examines measurement, incorporation and use of performance information; and
explores the challenges and future directions of performance management.

A must-read for any student or practitioner of public management, this core text will prove invaluable to anyone wanting to improve their understanding of performance management in the public sector.

ISBN-10

9780415371056
ISBN-13

978-0415371056
Edition

1st
Publisher

Routledge
Publication date

May 26, 2010
Language

English
Dimensions

6.14 x 0.48 x 9.21 inches
Print length

212 pages
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book offers an approachable and intelligent guide to a complex subject. It skillfully uses examples and insights from across the globe to illustrate and enliven our understanding of performance management. Practitioners will welcome the clearly-established learning directives and key points that frame each chapter. For scholars, the book forcefully directs attention to key research issues, most pressingly the use of performance data." - Donald Moynihan, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA

"This book provides distilled wisdom for public managers on how to frame, understand, and act on a performance management strategy for their organizations. I’ve seen in real life some of the dilemmas they raise in their book. The context and solutions they offer are practical and useful." - John M. Kamensky, senior fellow, IBM Center for The Business of Government and former deputy director of the U.S. National Partnership for Reinventing Government

About the Author

Wouter Van Dooren is Assistant Professor of Public Administration at the Department of Political Science, University of Antwerp, Belgium, and Research Fellow at the Public Management Institute at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. He researches performance measurement and management.

Geert Bouckaert is Director and Professor of Public Management at the Public Management Institute at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. He is President of the European Group for Public Administration and he researches performance management, financial management and public sector reform.

John Halligan is Research Professor of Government and Public Administration at the University of Canberra, Australia. His research interests are comparative public governance and management, performance management and public sector reform.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0415371058
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Routledge; 1st edition (May 26, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 212 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780415371056
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0415371056
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.14 x 0.48 x 9.21 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,067,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,199 in Human Resources (Books)
- #2,919 in Nonprofit Organizations & Charities (Books)
- #3,424 in Public Affairs & Administration (Books)

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Bernadette Lewis-Sealy

Performance Management in the Public Sector gives an in-dept understanding of the performance in the public sector

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 3, 2014

Verified Purchase

This book was chosen because of the clarity of explanation, the examples and the source of information. I like the way the book was structured and most of the way in which they look at the future development of the subject. It is a must for persons into public administration.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 2, 2017

Verified Purchase

Very quick and as described

Helpful

John Kamensky

Fireside Reading for Performance Wonks

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 13, 2010

This book takes a strategic and theory-based look at performance approaches. The authors - Wouter Van Dooren, Geert Bouckaert, and John Halligan - are well-known academics in the field from Belgium and Australia. Their book provides useful context for people new to the field and a set of practical steps for those designing a new performance management strategy for their agency.

This book examines the complexities and nuances of performance, performance measurement, and performance management. Their focus is on the concepts and system of performance, not so much on the actual crafting of performance measures. Here are some interesting insights:

The Challenge. A focus on performance is seen by some as a key tool for reformers to make government more effective, efficient, and accountable. But the value of a performance focus is not unchallenged. Some say that an over-emphasis on performance can undercut other democratic values, such as: rule of law, eradicating corruption, safeguarding equity, and transparency. The challenge is to strike the right balance.

The Design. The authors look at the design of performance systems through the lens of a Rubrick's Cube. They observe that performance can be analyzed at three levels (and in a rational and stable system, they would be nested). The first level is Macro, where a performance framework would reach across an entire governance system and focus on over-arching outcomes. The second level is Meso, which focuses on the performance of a policy sector, such as education. And the third level is Micro, which focuses at the level of an agency or a program.

The Uses and Users. In addition, they note that performance information has different uses and users. This imply different ways of designing and implementing a performance management system. However, different uses and users create tensions in any system, because they create different dynamics. In addition, performance information is used at different parts of an agency or program, by different actors: in the policy cycle (e.g., development, evaluation), the financial cycle (e.g.,. budgeting, accounting), and the contract cycle (negotiation, monitoring).

The Adoption. Further, the approaches used to help an organization adopt a performance system will vary depending on the nature of the organization. Production organizations (like Social Security) can easily measure their activities, outputs and outcomes. Craft organizations (like law enforcement) have observable results, but their processes are not easily observed. Procedural organizations (like mental health counseling) have observable outputs but their outcomes are less defined. And coping organizations (like the Diplomatic Corps) have problems in observing both outputs and outcomes!

The Implementation. My favorite section of their book deals with the balancing of the different uses of performance information. They declare "measurement changes behavior" and then offer a series of examples of both positive and negative behaviors. They offer strategies for reducing dysfunctional behavior, but this involves trade-offs between the uses and audiences - setting targets (which legislators like for accountability) encourages setting low bars, but abandoning targets can be helpful at "triggering dialogue and learning effects" (which benefit program delivery managers).

The Conclusion. The book concludes with an interesting challenge. Over the past two decades, there has been an enormous amount of effort to design and implement performance systems. However, implementing performance management systems that are actually used by decision makers to improve performance and results has been episodic. The question the authors raise is: should more emphasis be placed on improving implementation and leadership or would it be more beneficial to fundamentally rethink how performance management should be pursued in the first place?

The authors offer some interesting insights, but you'll have to read the book to find out!!

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