Posted by Teresa Curristine
Performance Reporting: Insights from International Practice by Richard Boyle[1] is one of the latest additions to the Managing for Performance and Results series published by the IBM Center for the Business of Governments. This publication evaluates and compares a selection of performance reports produced in four countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United States). Despite the abundance of performance indicators developed (80% of OECD countries develop performance measures) there are very few cross-country comparisons of performance indicators produced by government departments. To date, research on performance reporting has largely concentrated on analyzing central agencies’ performance frameworks, systems, and guidelines. This paper makes a valuable contribution by providing a cross national comparative analysis of the nature and quality of output and outcome performance indicators contained in departmental government performance reports in four countries and three sectors (Agriculture, Health, and Transportation). It is important to note that this report concentrates on the indicators themselves not on the actual results produced by governments. Even this type of cross-country comparison can be challenging due to governments’ different organizational structures and dissimilar degrees of functional decentralization.
The study produces a number of interesting findings. The United States' government’s performance reports clearly come out top. Nearly all the indicators contained in the reports examined are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time bound). Over 80% are outcome indicators, reflecting the US focus on reporting on programme as opposed to agency performance. Almost all indicators are quantitative, and have targets and baseline data associated with them. Many also include multiple year trend data. Boyle attributes the United States’ good practice in performance reporting to among other things having a strong performance management framework which promotes a standardized approach to presentation of performance information. In addition he stresses that having the Mercatus Center an influential independent external reviewer of agencies’ performance reports has helped improve report quality.
