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1 - Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2009

By
George A. Boyne ,
Kenneth J. Meier ,
Laurence J. O'Toole Jr.  and
Richard M. Walker
Edited by
George A. Boyne ,
Kenneth J. Meier ,
Laurence J. O'Toole, Jr.  and
Richard M. Walker
George A. Boyne
Affiliation:
Professor of Public Sector Management Cardiff Business School
Kenneth J. Meier
Affiliation:
Charles H. Gregory Chair in Liberal Arts and Professor of Political Science Texas A&M University; Professor of Public Management Cardiff School of Business, Cardiff University
Laurence J. O'Toole Jr.
Affiliation:
Margaret Hughes and Robert T. Golembiewski Professor of Public Administration and head of the Department of Public Administration and Policy in the School of Public and International Affairs University of Georgia (USA)
Richard M. Walker
Affiliation:
Professor of Public Management School of City and Regional Planning at Cardiff University and Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management at the University of Hong Kong
George A. Boyne
Affiliation:
Cardiff University
Kenneth J. Meier
Affiliation:
Texas A & M University
Laurence J. O'Toole, Jr.
Affiliation:
University of Georgia
Richard M. Walker
Affiliation:
The University of Hong Kong
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Summary

Introduction

The performance of public organizations around the globe is constantly under scrutiny by a variety of stakeholders including politicians, citizens, service users and government inspectors. In the UK, the Labour administration has placed public service improvement at the centre of its domestic agenda and recent events such as the major terrorist attacks of 9/11 in the US, the response of public agencies to Hurricane Katrina and the SARS outbreak in the Far East clearly demonstrate the pressure on public organizations to perform well. Knowledge of routes to higher levels of performance in public organizations is, therefore, of critical importance.

However, there is only limited evidence on the determinants of performance in public organizations (Boyne 2003; O'Toole and Meier 1999). A range of important questions persist about the performance of public bodies. This edited volume seeks to contribute new knowledge on the issues of performance measurement and management in public organizations by focusing upon three questions:

  • What approaches should be adopted to measure the performance of public agencies?

  • What aspects of management influence the performance of public agencies?

  • As the world globalizes, what are the key international issues in performance measurement and management?

In focusing upon these fundamental questions, the contributors to this book debate methodological and technical issues in the measurement of performance in public organizations and provide empirical analyses of the determinants of performance. The book also provides some important groundbreaking work by considering the international dimensions of these issues.

Type
Chapter
Information
Public Service Performance
Perspectives on Measurement and Management
 , pp. 1 - 13
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2006

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References

Andrews, R., Boyne, G. A., Law, J. and Walker, R. M. (2005) ‘External constraints on local service standards: The case of comprehensive performance assessment in English local government’, Public Administration, 83: 639–656.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andrews, R., , Boyne G. A. and Walker, R. M. (2006). ‘Strategy content and organizational performance: An empirical evaluation’, Public Administration Review 66. 52–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boyne, G. A. (1996) Constraints, choices and public policies.London: JAI Press.Google Scholar
Boyne, G. A. (2002) ‘Concepts and indicators of local authority performance: An evaluation of the statutory framework in England and Wales’, Public Money and Management, 22 (2): 17–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boyne, G. A. (2003) ‘Sources of public service improvement: A critical review and research agenda’, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 13: 767–794.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boyne, G. A. (2004) ‘Explaining public service performance: Does management matter?’, Public Policy and Administration, 19 (4): 110–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boyne, G. A. and Walker, R. M. (2005) ‘Determinants of performance in public organizations’ Symposium edition, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 15: 483–639.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brewer, G. A. (2005) ‘In the eye of the storm: Frontline supervisors and federal agency performance’, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 15: 505–527.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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Chun, Y. H. and Rainey, H. G. (2005b) ‘Goal ambiguity and organizational performance in US federal agencies’, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 15: 529–557.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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Lynn, L. E. Jr., Hienrich, C. J. and Hill, C. J. (2001) Improving governance: A new logic for empirical research. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press.Google Scholar
Martin, S. and Smith, P. C. (2005) ‘Multiple public service performance indicators: Toward an integrated statistical approach’, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 15: 599–613.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ostrom, E. (1973) ‘The need for multiple indicators of measuring the output of public agencies’, Policy Studies Journal, 2: 85–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Toole, O' L. J. Jr. and Meier, K. J. (1999) ‘Modeling the impact of public management: The implications of structural context’, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 9: 505–526.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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Weimer, W. T. and Gormley, D. L. (1999). Organizational Report Cards. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar

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  • Introduction
    • By George A. Boyne, Professor of Public Sector Management Cardiff Business School, Kenneth J. Meier, Charles H. Gregory Chair in Liberal Arts and Professor of Political Science Texas A&M University; Professor of Public Management Cardiff School of Business, Cardiff University, Laurence J. O'Toole Jr., Margaret Hughes and Robert T. Golembiewski Professor of Public Administration and head of the Department of Public Administration and Policy in the School of Public and International Affairs University of Georgia (USA), Richard M. Walker, Professor of Public Management School of City and Regional Planning at Cardiff University and Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management at the University of Hong Kong
  • Edited by George A. Boyne, Cardiff University, Kenneth J. Meier, Texas A & M University, Laurence J. O'Toole, Jr., University of Georgia, Richard M. Walker, The University of Hong Kong
  • Book: Public Service Performance
  • Online publication: 22 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511488511.001
Available formats
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Save book to Dropbox

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  • Introduction
    • By George A. Boyne, Professor of Public Sector Management Cardiff Business School, Kenneth J. Meier, Charles H. Gregory Chair in Liberal Arts and Professor of Political Science Texas A&M University; Professor of Public Management Cardiff School of Business, Cardiff University, Laurence J. O'Toole Jr., Margaret Hughes and Robert T. Golembiewski Professor of Public Administration and head of the Department of Public Administration and Policy in the School of Public and International Affairs University of Georgia (USA), Richard M. Walker, Professor of Public Management School of City and Regional Planning at Cardiff University and Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management at the University of Hong Kong
  • Edited by George A. Boyne, Cardiff University, Kenneth J. Meier, Texas A & M University, Laurence J. O'Toole, Jr., University of Georgia, Richard M. Walker, The University of Hong Kong
  • Book: Public Service Performance
  • Online publication: 22 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511488511.001
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
    • By George A. Boyne, Professor of Public Sector Management Cardiff Business School, Kenneth J. Meier, Charles H. Gregory Chair in Liberal Arts and Professor of Political Science Texas A&M University; Professor of Public Management Cardiff School of Business, Cardiff University, Laurence J. O'Toole Jr., Margaret Hughes and Robert T. Golembiewski Professor of Public Administration and head of the Department of Public Administration and Policy in the School of Public and International Affairs University of Georgia (USA), Richard M. Walker, Professor of Public Management School of City and Regional Planning at Cardiff University and Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management at the University of Hong Kong
  • Edited by George A. Boyne, Cardiff University, Kenneth J. Meier, Texas A & M University, Laurence J. O'Toole, Jr., University of Georgia, Richard M. Walker, The University of Hong Kong
  • Book: Public Service Performance
  • Online publication: 22 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511488511.001
Available formats
×