First published in 1998, this volume responds to the increase in performance review driven by government policies and examines the performance environment and processes for local government. Rob Ball explores the political and managerial environment before moving onto service planning, performance indicators and the Citizen’s Charter along with case studies. It is hoped to be of particular interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students of public administration or public management.

If you are not content to merely declare performance goals in mission statements or to rest your hopes on performance measurement to bring about change, find out how to lead an active strategy to push your organization toward improved performance. Leading Performance Management in Local Government walks you through a brief overview of performance measurement, and then delves into successful performance management practices. This collection of readings on performance measurement and management is packed with strategies and guidance from noted experts on leadership in government. Book jacket. ICMA Press is a leading publisher of books, reports, survey research, training materials, and other resources used by local government management professionals, municipal and county associations, and colleges and universities. Book jacket.

Provides a comprehensive theoretical and practical framework for informing budget decisions based on the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. The authors enliven the text with references to their original research and personal experiences with performance measurement, citizen satisfaction surveys, and financial management practices. This edition includes increased coverage of cost accounting procedures and of citizen participation in performance management.

Based on five years of extensive research by the Government Performance Project, this volume offers a comprehensive analysis of how government managers and elected officials use management and management systems to improve performance. Drawing on data from across the nation, it examines the performance of state, county, and city governments between 1997 and 2002 within the framework of basic management systems: financial information, human resources, capital and infrastructure, and results evaluation. Key issues addressed: • How governments strategically select elements of management to emphasize the role of leadership • How those governments that aim to improve performance differ from those that do not • What “effective management” looks like Through this careful, in-depth investigation, the contributors conclude that the most effective governments are not those with the most resources, but those that use the resources available to them most carefully and strategically. In Pursuit of Performance is an invaluable tool for government leaders and the scholars who study them.

This volume is a rich compendium of experience and diverse views about systems for introducing greater rationality in American governmental systems. With contributions from skeptics as well as proponents, it adds to the debate over the utility of performance management in American government. Focusing on the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the authors also analyze performance budgeting and management in states and local governments. Exploring the performance management movement, the book sets out the point and counterpoint between critics and supporters and provides a common vocabulary for discussion. Steps to improve performance measures are outlined, as well as a discussion of states' progress in managing for results. New survey data reporting on states' performance budgeting is also included. The book reports on GPRA implementation at the Social Security Administration, advocates linking evaluation research with performance management systems, and discusses the limitations of performance incentives in the 1982 federal job training law. Practitioners address the New York City Police Department's innovative "COMPSTAT" system for performance management, and review the recent history of performance budgeting in Florida. Also included are case studies from research scholars on benchmarking for Empowerment Zones, performance funding for higher education in the states, performance management in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program under the 1996 national welfare reform act, and performance issues in Medicaid, food stamps, and children's health insurance.