Performance Management in the Public Sector (Routledge Masters in Public Management) - Softcover

‘Politicians have reorganized public services on the assumption that performance data offers new possibilities for governance. There are few, if any, public management issues more important than how this data is used. Performance Management in the Public Sector offers the most accessible account of the complexities of this topic. It serves the need of the student and practitioner, while integrating and adding to the best research. In particular, the book offers a recipe for a positive, learning-based approach to performance management that is badly needed in practice. My first edition of this book has become dog-eared through repeated use, and I expect the second edition to be just as valuable.’ - Donald Moynihan is Professor of Public Affairs, Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin, USA

‘An evenhanded, comprehensive, and crystal clear assessment of a prime topic in contemporary public management.’ - Mark Bovens, Utrecht University School of Governance, the Netherlands

‘This new edition builds sensitively on the comprehensive coverage of the first edition. Readers will be delighted to see an updated literature and a wealth of recent practical examples. This reaffirms this text as essential reading for anyone with an interest in performance management in the public sector.’ - Dr Ian Elliott, Senior Lecturer, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK

‘This book deepens our understanding of performance management, emphasising the contested nature of a concept that has become synonymous with management in general and human resource management in particular. MBA and HRM students will find this a valuable text.’ - Dr Bob Mason, Department of Management & Leadership, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland

In times of rising expectations and decreasing resources for the public sector, performance management is high on the agenda. Increasingly, the value of the performance management systems themselves is under scrutiny, with more attention being paid to the effectiveness of performance management in practice. This new edition has been revised and updated to examine:

• performance in the context of current public management debates, including emerging discussions on the New Public Governance and neo-Weberianism;
• the many definitions of performance and how it has become one of the most contested agendas of public management;
• the so-called perverse effects of using performance indicators;
• the technicalities of performance measurement in a five step process: prioritising measurement, indicator development, data collection, analysis and reporting; and
• the future challenges and directions of performance management

Performance Management in the Public Sector 2nd edition offers an approachable insight into a complex theme for practitioners and public management students alike.