Search

Taking China's air quality management during the 13th 5-Year Plan (2016–2020) as a case, this study empirically examines the impact of mandatory policy target set by the higher-level government on the performance of lower-level government in achieving the target. The results show that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between environmental target value and target completion rate. In addition, the inverted U-shaped relationship is moderated by local economic growth rate. Specifically, economic growth impairs the positive effect of environmental target value on environmental performance before the turning point but alleviating the negative effect after the turning point. Moreover, higher-level attention can strengthen the target setting effect for local governments. Therefore, a successful target-based performance management system needs the reasonable design for the target difficulty and coordination of conflicting targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text discusses the development and growth of performance management in government administration since the Government Performance Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. It highlights the global interest in public performance and the 2022 Marc Holzer Symposium, which focused on assessing the impact of GPRA and the field's sustainability. The text also explores the importance of performance management in addressing emerging issues related to equity, intersectionality, and budgeting. It includes studies on racial equity budgeting, the relationship between performance achievement and resource allocation, and the impact of diversity climate on organizational identification in a state-level police organization. Overall, the research emphasizes the need to examine government performance in relation to societal changes and the outcomes sought by public and nonprofit organizations. [Extracted from the article]

Scholars have documented how ineffective rules or "red tape", and effective rules or "green tape" affect a public organization's management and performance. However, they differ on whether red tape by definition (i.e., burdensome and unnecessary rules) can perform useful organizational functions. Rather, we further the "necessary bureaucracy" conceptualization by van Loon et al. who argue that some rules are burdensome yet functional—with a study of China's political selection rules, we add a political functionality to this conceptualization, explaining why some rules are regarded as red tape by lower-echelon managers while considered as politically necessary (and not as red tape) by top-echelon organizational elites: The theory of institutional entropy suggests that all organizational systems are predisposed toward disarray. It takes significant maintenance efforts to keep a system together and aligned. Thus, despite its onerousness, necessary bureaucracy as a governance craft maintains an organization's order for ensuring elites' political control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance budgeting is a contentious area in public administration literature. While performance budgeting systems are widely adopted with promises of better fiscal outcomes, public administration theory implies that this practice may generate social waste. Most empirical research that finds null or negative effects of performance budgeting focuses only on how performance budgeting affects resource allocations and cost savings. This study aims to fill the gap in the literature by conducting a quantitative panel-data analysis to determine whether the inclusion of performance information in municipal budgets contributes to better fiscal outcomes. An ordered logit regression analysis in the context of 125 large U.S. cities over a 12-year span (2008–2019) demonstrates that performance budgeting is positively associated with municipal fiscal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance information is overwhelmingly used in program evaluation by both public managers and external stakeholders. In the market-based New Public Management movement, effectiveness is public programs' major selling point. However, this approach may marginalize the role of democratic values in governance. In the current complex society with anti-government sentiments, we embrace the idea of New Public Service to reiterate the importance of democratic values. Using a conjoint experiment, we compare the effects of effectiveness and democratic values in predicting public program evaluation, conditioned on citizens' trust in government. Our results show that effectiveness and democratic values contribute similar effects in explaining policy preferences. Distrust in government strengthens the effect of democratic values but reduces the effect of effectiveness. Our findings challenge the prevalent effectiveness-centric framework in public management. We suggest that citizen-state interaction should not rely only on performance merits, but also on inclusiveness and openness values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accountability and performance management scholars have called for more attention to the micro-level consequences of performance regimes, including the effects of performance information use. Reflecting these themes, this study considers the degree to which accountability regimes in schools, imposed by U.S. states, and encouraged by the federal government, relate to teachers' job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Using data from the 2015 to 2016 National Teacher and Principal Survey, we consider the degree to which the following relate to teacher attitudes: (1) the inclusion of student achievement growth on standardized tests in teacher performance appraisals, (2) using additional sources of performance information in the appraisal beyond the student achievement scores, and (3) the differential effects of developmental and administrative uses of appraisal ratings. Our results show that when schools include student growth on standardized tests in appraisals, teachers report lower satisfaction and a higher turnover intention. Using additional sources of performance information, however, relates to improved satisfaction and decreased turnover intentions. Using student standardized test information to inform both positive and negative administrative consequences is associated with lower satisfaction but is not associated with turnover intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides new evidence on the relationship between managerial autonomy, use of performance goals, and public service performance. Previous empirical studies have found seemingly inconsistent effects of managerial autonomy. As interests of agents may differ from wishes of principals, effects of autonomy may depend on whether superjacent levels couple managerial autonomy with a high focus on performance goals. Linking three waves of panel survey data from Danish school principals, local government, and student-level data, this article is able to rigorously test the link between managerial autonomy, use of performance goals, and organizational performance, measured as student achievements and student self-efficacy. We find that when managerial autonomy is accompanied by high use of performance goals from superjacent levels, there is evidence of performance improvement. Furthermore, when managerial autonomy and performance goals do not go hand in hand, organizational performance may even suffer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the progress in understanding the theoretical underpinnings behind governments' use of performance information, there is limited understanding of whether governments use performance data to reduce racial and ethnic inequalities. This study uses the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study to examine what actions local governments have taken to remedy the disproportionally negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on racial and ethnic minorities. Specifically, the study examines the antecedents of the use of disaggregated performance data and studies the influence of the organizational culture and organizational learning on the use of disaggregated data in decision-making. An online survey was administered to 295 counties in the U.S., and the results indicate that attention dedicated to discussing and analyzing COVID-19 data and developmental organizational culture are positively associated with making data-driven decisions. Contrary to the widespread expectations, the percentage of minority population and prevalence of COVID-19 cases do not result in greater efforts to assist minorities in dealing with the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine how performance information changes actual budget allocation in both government proposals and congressional appropriations. Focusing on the effects of performance information on budget changes by subsection and policy type, the analysis reveals significantly positive relationships between performance information and budget changes. The analysis also shows significantly positive correlations between the planning and management sectors and budget changes. We also examine the effects of performance information on budget changes by policy type. Meanwhile, the results indicate that performance information had significant positive relationships with the budget allocations for distributive and redistributive policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, many countries have introduced gender budgeting initiatives both at the national and subnational levels. Gender budgeting aims to enhance the gender responsiveness of government spending by integrating gender-disaggregated analyses and gender equality outcome targets into the budgetary process. Although gender budgeting has been practiced for decades, empirical studies on the topic (including on the potential determinants of gender budgeting practices) have been scarce. This paper exploits a unique data set from South Korea. In that country, a gender budgeting system was uniformly introduced to local governments in 2013, but the extent of its use was left to the discretion of municipalities. Drawing from the gender budgeting statements of 66 municipal governments during 2013–2018, I find significant variations in the amount and types of gender budgeting across municipalities. I further find that the amount and types of gender budgeting are significantly influenced by political factors, institutional support, pro-equality climates of civil society, and the socioeconomic and fiscal conditions of the municipalities. Overall, the results suggest that, both inside- and outside-government conditions that are conducive to budgetary reform facilitate the implementation of gender budgeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The belief that governments should be accountable for their actions has brought about many managerial reforms in the form of new public management. However, there are assertions that these performance-oriented managerial reforms weaken the role of political accountability. In this study, by using regression discontinuity design to examine the impact of the South Korean government's regulatory reform, we explored the relationship between multiple accountability and performance in the public sector. Our findings are as follows: First, we see that managerial accountability systems clearly lead to performance improvement in local governments with poor performance. Second, the impact of managerial accountability on performance depends on political accountability. It means that political accountability should be considered more as a complement, than a substitute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public organizations increasingly produce performance information. However, quite often this information is not put to use. In this paper we study how different organizational echelons use performance information. We use a representative survey among Danish public managers to compare the extent to which different organizational echelons use performance information. We find that top managers generally use performance information – information on outcomes and user satisfaction in particular – more than other echelons. These findings are important, because performance management systems are often designed at the top of public organizations, even though they are intended to be used for different purposes at different organizational echelons. Our findings raise important questions regarding the use and design of performance information that are relevant for frontline managers and executives alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research shows that reporting on outcome measures increases the probability that local officials will use performance data to inform their decisions. What has been overlooked in the literature is the question of why some local governments continue to focus more on outputs than on outcomes of service delivery, thereby limiting their ability to use performance data for decision-making. The purpose of this article is to identify organizational, individual, and support factors that could increase the probability that local officials in the Apulia Region of Italy when measuring performance, will move beyond the basic measures of output to the more advanced measures of outcome. Based on our logit regression model, we find that the factors of quantifiable objectives and employee training increase the likelihood that local officials will report on service delivery outcomes. An implication resulting from our research is the importance of giving local officials access to academic communities through applied research, technical assistance, and training sessions. We conclude with future research opportunities that would help advance the study and practice of performance measurement in local government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited research has taken the contingency perspective to analyze the conditions under which the impact of top leader turnover on public organizations' performance may vary. Using panel data from New York City public high schools, this study not only examines the main effect of principal turnover on schools' performance but also how the main effect depends on schools' baseline performance. Two estimation strategies—namely fixed effect models and Blundell–Bond dynamic panel models—find a consistent pattern that leader turnover is negatively associated with subsequent organizational performance, and the negative impact is stronger in low-performing organizations than it is in high-performing organizations. This study contributes to the literature by showing that the disruptive effects of leader turnover outweigh the adaptive effects in some public organizations. Moreover, the contingency perspective highlights the role of pre-turnover performance in moderating the effect of leader turnover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Are municipal-level local option sales taxes (LOST) in Texas associated with long-term economic development outcomes? The Texas 4a and 4b LOST options fund economic development projects managed by a dedicated municipal-level economic development corporation (EDC). Instead of short-term outputs, we consider associations with three primary long-range outcomes: property value growth, population growth, and new home construction. Three regression analyses examine economic growth between 2011 and 2015 for Texas municipalities while controlling for county-level nesting effect, local capacity, and other contextual factors. The implementation of the 4a industrial development LOST shows a small significant positive association with population growth, albeit at the.10 level. The 4a LOST is also selected as part of the optimal model for property value growth despite not being significant. Implementation of the broader 4b community development LOST is not found significant nor included in any of the three outcome-based models. In each case, the county-level nesting effect is highly associated with economic development outcomes, while municipal-level capacity measures, such as property tax collected per capita, household median income, and the percentage of 4-year college graduates also show strong associations. Municipalities more dependent on the manufacturing sector show a significant negative association with all three economic development outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While research has documented the framing effects of performance data on decision-making, little is known about the impact of data visualizations on performance gaming. We propose that performance information portraying prosocial impact reduces gaming if the information is episodic and visualizes benefits for clients in need. We also theorize about expert-novice differences and suggest that performance information is less influential among experts. We conduct an experiment with samples of citizens (novices) and school leaders (experts) in which subjects must decide whether they are willing to omit poorly performing students when calculating school-wide performance scores. We find that school leaders game less than citizens, and that the former are less responsive to episodic information cues than the latter. However, information becomes more influential if it can capture school leaders' attention and if leaders have little work experience. More broadly, our findings suggest being cautious with generalizations across groups of data users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that nonprofits embrace diverse perspectives when adopting performance measurement, one key area of scholarly attention is understanding what leads nonprofits to embrace different performance measures. In this article, the author combines agency theory, resource dependence theory, and neo-institutional theory to explore how performance measures of nonprofits are associated with prominent organizational contingencies. Based on survey data from California nonprofits (n = 143), the regression results demonstrate that the adoption of performance measurement is not only influenced by external institutional pressures but also is associated with task characteristics and environmental uncertainty of nonprofits. This study helps nonprofits' stakeholders to better understand why nonprofits choose to adopt certain measurement dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While extensive literature on public management has suggested that management matters for performance, the role of national context in this mechanism has been significantly understudied. This article examines whether and how the impact of management on performance varies across national settings by conducting a comparative analysis of U.S. and Korean hospitals. Based on a parallel hospital manager survey and archival database in the two countries, we find that managerial networking contributes to performance in both U.S. and Korean hospitals, but its functional form varies between the two countries. These findings imply that management is the key to enhancing performance, but the effective strategy can vary depending on the national context. This study highlights the role of national context and advances the field of comparative public administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the performance management literature, it is a widely held assumption that the involvement of frontline employees in performance management systems increases employees' goal support, which, in turn, improves organizational performance. Yet empirically, this assumption is unsubstantiated. Therefore, the aim of this study is to make an empirical contribution to the literature by examining experimentally how involvement affects frontline employees' support of performance goals. To test the assumption, we conduct a survey experiment on more than 1600 public caseworkers working in Danish employment agencies. Contrary to the mainstream assumption, but in line with psychological theory, our experimental test shows that involving employees has no effect on their goal support. In addition, our findings highlight various challenges for managers who seek to improve goal support through employee involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gaming has become a noticeable worldwide phenomenon in performance management, attracting growing discussion from academics and practitioners. What are the latest developments in gaming? What are the implications of gaming? Why is gaming behaviour so tenacious? How can we synthesize, conceptualize and theorize research findings on the topic? How can gaming be contained and at what cost? This symposium gathers insights on gaming and measures to mitigate gaming in contemporary performance management reforms. Findings of the four papers contribute to the literature by identifying new forms and strategies of gaming, conceptualizing its root causes, and examining mitigation strategies and costs. Directions and questions for future research on gaming are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance funding is a specific method to manage performance by tying public funding to performance rather than to inputs identified by the organization. Since the 1980s, many countries have adopted some version of performance funding in the higher education sector as part of marketization processes and in response to increased competition, making it a major issue in higher education policy. This paper develops a theoretical framework that utilizes a network-related principal-agent framework to detect the possible origins of the failures in most versions of performance funding in higher education. The framework specifies the conditions required for effective monitoring and effort maximization. Nevertheless, we show that such conditions rarely exist in most higher education systems. Thus, performance funding creates an "autonomy paradox" that ultimately explains the failures in accountability related to performance funding. This unexpected and unwelcome outcome calls for a reexamination of this approach. We recommend expanding the collection of performance information to include inputs and capabilities and creating various mechanisms that connect specific solutions to specific problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instead of using performance data to help improve organizational performance, many public officials have responded to the implementation of performance measurement (PM) systems in their organizations by gaming these systems. While research on the dysfunctional effects of PM is growing, we are still in search of frameworks and theories that are capable of explaining the causes of PM gaming by public organizations and officials. This research proposes that PM gaming is a product of the motivation of the officials and the opportunity presented by the context. It articulates specific propositions and presents a causal model that aims to provide a more systematic explanation about the main causes of PM gaming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on gaming have made fruitful progress in diagnosing the problem and offering prescriptions for its mitigation. However, little is known about the actual reform efforts to curb gaming and the effectiveness of these strategies. This study contributes to the existing literature by examining the challenges of and strategies for mitigating distortion of performance data in Chinese local government in the past decade or so. It argues that curbing pernicious gaming such as information distortion is an uphill battle because it comes with a heavy political cost. In China, tackling the root cause of information distortion would jeopardize the key function of performance measurement, which is to ensure local compliance with the policy goals set by the authorities at the upper levels. Therefore, information distortion is selectively tackled and also selectively tolerated. This is achieved by concentrating on reducing distortion of key performance data that is vital for policymaking through strategies such as strengthening the state's ability to collect raw data directly and building up accountability in the statistical system. This study shows that those engaged in fighting gaming must make a tradeoff between reaping the benefits of performance management and reducing its associated risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance management has a long tradition in China, but questions remain as to its effectiveness. This article presents the results of a comparative time-series analysis that assessed the impact of performance management reform in the province of Guangdong, China, on two outcomes of interest—improved citizen satisfaction with government performance and improved government financial performance. The study used data survey data on citizen satisfaction from the Government Performance Evaluation Center in China and financial data from the statistical yearbook and the fiscal yearbook from 2010 to 2014. This coincides with two periods of development of performance management in China: (1) before 2012, when efforts focused on economic development followed by an emphasis on citizen-oriented and sustainable government services; and (2) between 2012 and 2014, when pilot programs of performance management systems were implemented. A difference-in-differences test comparing the outcome variables before and after the pilot project in Guangdong suggests that overall performance management reform had a positive impact on citizen satisfaction but it had mixed results on financial performance in the county-level jurisdictions that implemented the pilot program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to "reinvent" government have emphasized the importance of performance measurement and management (PMM) systems to improve government operations. Although it seems clear why organizations adopt PMM systems, less is known about their actual consequences. This study, using a survey to Japanese local government departments, explores whether different uses of PMM and their interaction with the context (predictability and bureaucratic culture) can affect the impact of PMM on organizational performance. Results show that using PMM, not only having it, is not enough to generate performance improvements. It is shown that the fitness of use to the local government context is the way to foster performance. A strong bureaucratic culture shows a positive relation with performance in the Japanese setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gaming behaviors are challenges to governments' performance measurement systems. This paper presents a theory of the ways in which participatory management and goal ambiguity shape gaming behaviors in performance management. Using survey data from China, this study empirically shows that in high-incentive performance measurement systems, township government cadres' participation in goal-setting has a significant positive effect on their gaming behaviors; cadres' perceived goal ambiguity has a significant negative effect on their gaming behaviors; and participatory management affects gaming behaviors through goal ambiguity. This study's findings reveal that in the context of high pressure and intense competition, gaining more useful information from participation in goal-setting and developing a deeper understanding of the evaluative goals requested by superiors may allow township government cadres to identify loopholes in performance measurement systems and seize opportunities for gaming. These findings imply that a comprehensive management strategy should be used to limit gaming behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance management is becoming increasingly important in long-term health care because of rising quality standards and scarce resources. The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic illustrates the dynamic nature of emerging events in the health sector and underscores the importance of managing for results in suboptimal conditions. This study investigates whether managers in public, nonprofit, and private sector nursing homes differ in how they use performance information when their organizations are under severe financial stress. Based on the survey and archival data for 579 organizations in Switzerland, this study reveals substantial cross-sector differences in the use of performance information for managing efficiency and service quality. Our key findings suggest that managers in all three sectors utilize performance information differently when under financial stress. While financial stress hampers managers' use of performance information for managing efficiency in the public sector, it fosters greater use in the nonprofit and private sectors, with the latter being even more responsive. Nonprofit organizations give more attention to preserving the quality of care, apparently fearing that increased emphasis on efficiency could undercut quality. The implications for theory and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standard economic theories of nonprofits argue that donors largely cannot observe nonprofit performance. Using market data from the US nonprofit housing sector, federal financial data, and rare internal production reports, this study examines the effects of nonprofit performance on donations with a dynamic panel model. Donors in our sample are only weakly sensitive to indicators of nonprofit productivity. Our results imply that nonprofit performance theory might be distinct from other sectors in that nonprofits cannot expect increased performance to be meaningfully rewarded with funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using agency and stewardship theories, this article investigates conditions that affect the impact of performance management in the ministerial steering of agencies. Agency theory assumes that agencies act opportunistically, leading to low trust between the ministry and the agency. Conversely, stewardship theory assumes that agencies act trustworthily. Arguably, however, in the steering of agencies, the impact of performance management depends on performance management practices and the type of ministry–agency relation. The effect of performance contract design and a top-down or bottom-up approach to performance management on the impact of performance management is analyzed in the context of whether the ministry–agency relation tends toward the principal–agent or principal–steward type. The data were obtained from a survey of bureaucrats employed in government agencies in Norway and a systematic analysis of official policy documents. The results show that a bottom-up approach increases the impact of performance management in principal–steward relations but not in principal–agent relations. Performance contract design has no effect on the impact of performance management, irrespective of relationship characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article extends existing knowledge of performance management use by examining intergovernmental (IG) efforts as drivers of local government use. A capacity-building framework is proposed with IG strategies that (1) increase local leaders' awareness and commitment to performance management; (2) provide technical assistance for increasing local government capacities; (3) incentivize local governments to take performance management seriously; (4) institutionalize local efforts that deepen and broaden performance management practice. Using audit assessments, field study, and survey research, this article empirically examines a comprehensive national IG effort that promotes performance management use in local governments. Results show that IG strategies, separately and combined, increase performance management use. This article makes recommendations for increasing IG practices that promote performance management use by subnational governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By analyzing how public administrations in a rule-of-law oriented, continental European federal government system adopted managerial practices on a voluntary basis, this article contributes to the knowledge about actual managerial practices in public administration. Its main research question is about what local governments in Germany do when they claim to have implemented managerial practices. For ten municipalities which have been identified as good practices, actual managerial practices are characterized and analyzed based on a model using established theoretical concepts of performance management and strategic management. Data stem from systematic reviews of strategy documents and budget plans as well as additional interviews. It can be shown that these municipalities have implemented managerial practices which generally follow the ideas of popular German reform blueprints and comply with general ideas of public administration research. Results suggest an inherent connection between performance management and strategic management whereas actual practices, even between the ten cases under review, differ significantly. The conclusion argues that more qualitative research about managerial practices could substantially enrich public scholars' perspective on theoretical concepts such as performance management and strategic management and on the preconditions under which these concepts could create benefits for the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What constitutes "good" performance in a law enforcement agency, who decides, and how does public recognition of that performance change how an agency performs? This study uses a quasi-experimental design and propensity-score matching model to assess the impact of a law enforcement agency's status as a finalist for the annual Cisco/International Chiefs of Police Association (IACP) Community Policing Award on performance in future years, as measured by crime clearance rates. It is found that after comparing the treated group (finalist agencies) with the untreated group (non-finalist nearest-neighbor agencies), there is no meaningful difference in crime clearance rates. This unexpected finding establishes that the public recognition of finalist status by the Department of Justice, which promotes finalist agencies as exemplars of best practices in community policing, does not impact the subsequent performance of those agencies. Additionally, the results of the model suggest that the impact of symbolic politics and social construction on the award finalist selection process and the choice by DOJ to promote the practices of those agencies should be explored. Questions are also raised as to the utility of crime clearance rates as a performance measure, and future avenues for research in each area are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to performance management doctrine, successful performance management requires devolved decision authority—that is, meaningful decision authority must be placed in the hands of managers at the program level, where those best equipped with insights can make needed changes. Using both perceptual and objective information on decision authority in 62 select U.S. city and county governments, the authors find a positive relationship between devolved decision authority and reported performance management success—especially when managers both have and perceive that they have meaningful discretion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article advances a framework for identifying the likely implications of incentive intensity and associated transaction costs when employing performance management systems in the public sector. Performance management encompasses a broad range of systems including Managing for Results, PerformanceStat systems, performance-based contracting, and performance-based budgeting that seek to increase the capacity of government to achieve desired outcomes. These regimes share some common features, but, in practice, involve differing levels of incentive intensity, meaning the potency and certainty of the rewards and/or penalties attached to goal attainment. The article argues that increased intensity of incentives may improve organizational performance but very likely at the expense of higher governance costs. The framework is employed in a critical literature review of empirical research on performance management in the public sector. The review highlights the importance of considering the balance between weak incentives, which render few benefits, as opposed to very high-intensity incentives, which increase administrative costs while reducing benefits by encouraging gaming and other perverse responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing body of research on the impact of purposeful performance information (PPI) use on organizational performance (Kroll, 2015a), but questions remain about how a top manager's operating context may affect the relationship between PPI use and performance. In this study, we examine the relationship between top managers' PPI use and performance, and cross-sector differences in the relationship between PPI use and performance. We test our hypotheses by combining survey data of nearly 1,000 top managers from public, private, and nonprofit American hospitals with indirect (client satisfaction), direct (patient readmission rates), and perceptual (managers' self-assessment) performance measures, while controlling for task. We move beyond overall performance information use by exploring the relationship between PPI use and performance in four specific decision areas. We observe a fair amount of homogeneity across the three sectors but also find salient differences regarding how PPI use is linked to different performance indicators. While public hospitals primarily use PPI to meet community needs, nonprofit and for-profit hospitals use PPI to improve patient outcomes. The article concludes with a discussion of the findings within the performance management and cross-sector differences literatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"We have all this data, why don't we use it?" This question seems to be a constant in performance literature. Although the uptake in performance management throughout the public sector has been pronounced in recent decades, particularly among public health departments, both empirical and anecdotal evidence suggest that few organizations have gone beyond simply collecting and reporting performance data to actually integrating these data into their decision-making processes. One barrier to such integration may be the lack of visual accessibility in performance data reports. Research in other fields has provided strong evidence suggesting that visualizing data, rather than providing simply numerical displays, promotes data cognition and use. This study employs an experimental survey vignette design to test whether graphically displayed performance information results in higher intended rates of performance information use among public health managers. The results suggest that in some instances, specifically ratio indicators and benchmarking reporting, data visualization increases the intention of public managers to use that information for decision making. This study provides both practical approaches to promoting performance-data utilizing as well as opening new avenues to performance research around data value and cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides insight into how to facilitate performance data collection within nonprofit organizations. Following research on organizational learning, we propose that nonprofits that provide higher support for employee learning and development activities are more likely to collect performance data than those that provide limited support to such activities. We assess this hypothesis with data collected from 154 employees in 26 nonprofits in the greater New York Capital region. We find that higher support for learning indeed has a positive relationship with performance data collection, but the strength of this relationship depends on the nonprofits' capacity to conduct performance assessment and clarity of their organizations goals. Implications of these results for research and practice on performance management in nonprofits are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonprofit organizations are increasingly pressured to measure their performance. Although several studies identify driving factors of measuring performance in public organizations, there is limited understanding of current performance management practices at nonprofit organizations. Drawing from an online survey of mid- to large-sized nonprofit human service organizations across the United States, this research examines: (1) the types of performance information human service nonprofits measure; (2) the frequency of using performance data; and (3) the challenges nonprofits commonly face integrating performance data into management. Our empirical evidence suggests that human service nonprofits must recognize that data collected to meet external accountability requirements, often mandated by government or funders, may not provide meaningful information that organizations can use to enhance performance. We also discuss the nuanced role tangible incentives play in nonprofit performance management. The article concludes by highlighting the need for nonprofit managers and grant makers to work together to develop measures that meet both accountability and performance improvement aims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article makes two contributions to the literature: it tests the impact of innovating and optimizing on perceived public performance. Secondly, it examines the contribution of connective, ambidextrous, and learning capacity to both innovation and optimization in public organizations. Building on previous research, the relevant attributes of connective, ambidextrous, and learning capacity are singled out at the individual, organizational, and network level. Based on the literature, we expect these capacities to relate stronger to either optimizing or innovating. We test this multidimensional framework in a survey among the 22 regional water authorities in the Netherlands using SEM. The results show that optimizing and innovation both contribute to performance. However, optimizing shows a stronger relationship. Furthermore, all three capacities are related to innovation and optimization, but in different degrees at different levels. In line with our hypotheses, we found connective capacity to relate more strongly to optimizing, whereas learning capacity relates stronger to innovating and ambidextrous capacity to both. These results indicate that public organizations will benefit from a deliberate evaluation whether public performance is best served with optimization or innovation, and from a focused approach in developing and employing these capacities that enables a balanced approach to innovating and optimizing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonprofits' capacity and scope can impact organizational performance, separately and jointly. Yet, the relationship between the two constructs remains unexplored. In this article, we examine the association between organizational capacity and scope. Relying on a dataset of environmental nonprofit organizations in Lebanon, we find that, when examined separately, human resources and external relations capacities are significantly associated with single-domain organizations while strategic planning and financial capacities are significantly associated with multiple-domain organizations. When considered together, however, external relations lose such association. Implications for practice and future research on the effect of organizational scope and capacity on nonprofit performance are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research suggests that civil servants can perceive their role differently and that these differing perceptions also influence their responses to managerial reform programs. Yet there is little research examining how different role perceptions influence the application of performance measurement. Using survey data from 742 human service organizations in Switzerland, the present study addresses this gap by investigating how professional and managerial role identities affect managers' use of performance information. The results support the hypotheses that role identities indirectly influence the application of performance information through the effects on role conflict that may occur when managerial professionals measure the performance of their organizations. A lack of resources, stringent political control, and poor information quality are also found to be associated with role conflict and a limited use of performance information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the late 1980s, performance management has become a bon ton in central and local government research and practice. Its emergence is largely a result of neo-liberal ideas and the reforms of New Public Management. The goal of this study is to examine the relationship between performance management at the local level and citizens' satisfaction with and trust in government. By using data collected by Israeli local authorities over recent years, several questions were answered. Have years of performance management initiatives been effective in terms of good governance? What relationship do they have with citizens as service recipients? What are the implications of this experience for future reforms in public administration? Three data sets were used concerning (1) citizens' satisfaction with and trust in government, (2) the experiences of senior local government officers with performance management initiatives, and (3) the objective characteristics of the local government authorities. Results indicate that performance management is associated with higher levels of citizens' trust in and satisfaction with local government. Furthermore, the community's socioeconomic status moderates the mediated relationship between performance management and the satisfaction and trust of citizens. Implications of these findings are discussed, and suggestions for future studies are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the meta-analysis on performance budgeting theory and practice, the relationship between citizens' role and performance-based budgeting is an important but under-researched topic. Missing in our understanding of the determinants of performance budgeting is an examination of how citizen participation fosters the usage of performance information in the local budgetary process. This research is intended to understand the role of citizens to use performance budgeting, particularly for strategic planning and performance evaluation. To examine the research question, this study hypothesizes that local governments with a commitment to citizen participation tend to use performance budgeting. The results allow confirming that the hypothesis is supported, and to clarify our knowledge of the role of citizen input in government fiscal decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Representation of minority groups has become an increasingly vital feature of the public sector as a result of current population trends. The purpose of this article is to shed new light on the effect of public organizations on minority communities by addressing the following question: are minority public managers strategic in their responses to minority consumers of public services and the multiple dimensions of their organization's performance? Building upon current perspectives on representation and diversity, this article contributes to existing research by introducing a theory of strategic responsiveness. This theory addresses an important deficiency in existing studies by providing an account of how minority managers in local organizations respond to multiple performance disparities when they seek to maximize the performance of their organizations and the quality of service delivery to underrepresented communities. The findings suggest that when faced with multiple performance pressures, minority managers channel their representation through the area of performance that is linked to their organization's most salient performance objective. These findings have implications for our understanding of the relationship between diversity in public management and organizations' responsiveness to minority communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how central features of performance management, setting goals and incentivizing results, relate to the employees' satisfaction with the psychosocial work environment. Using data from 64 Danish university departments, including 2,115 nested researchers, we find that having clear organizational goals is associated with higher levels of satisfaction with the psychosocial work environment. We also find that there is a positive relationship between the use of financial rewards and satisfaction with the psychosocial work environment, if there is a fit with the employees' extrinsic motivation structure. On the other hand, the use of sanctions is negatively correlated with the psychosocial work environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments are increasingly using performance management systems to improve organizational accountability and effectiveness. Critics argue these systems create perverse incentives and neglect important differences in organizational values, missions, and resources. These concerns are particularly salient in public higher education as state governments apply uniform performance accountability policies across diverse institutions. A growing body of literature suggests that these policies do not improve performance, but few studies consider their potential unintended consequences or the implications of organizational differences, such as resource dependence, for implementation. By using a difference-in-differences approach, I find that performance-funding's effects vary depending on institutions' dependence on state funding. Institutions less dependent on state funding experience graduation rate gains, while more dependent institutions do not. I also find that implementing performance funding is associated with increased selectivity in admissions and a decline in minority enrollment. Broadly, the results suggest organizations will be more successful under performance management systems when they have greater flexibility in their resources and missions consistent with the performance regimes. The results also suggest, however, that institutions may realize performance gains at the expense of other important values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cost accounting has not been studied extensively in the context of European central governments. This article looks at the use of cost accounting with two New Public Management practices: performance management and decentralization. The research finds that there is an increasing use of cost accounting for central government ministries that make greater use of performance management, which follows the theoretical prediction that cost accounting information and performance information can be used together to address agency problems. Greater decentralization is associated with a greater use of cost accounting, but the relationship between decentralization and cost accounting does not vary by agency or ministry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]