Topic: Measuring & Monitoring Government Performance

Measurement of government performance has assumed topical importance in popular discussions and debates. Debates about the appropriate role, policies, and institutions of the state are often hampered by the lack of a definition for “good government.” The content of this program presents ideas both on the measurement of the whole of government performance as well as the same for selected sectors and local governments. This program is focused on measuring government performance in the delivery of public services.

In measuring the quality of governance, course contents discuss the use of indices for the government’s ability to:

• Ensure political transparency and a voice for all citizens (the citizen participation index measures political freedom and political stability);
• Provide effective public services efficiently (the government orientation index measures judicial and bureaucratic efficiency and the absence of corruption);
• Promote the health and well being of its citizens (the social development index measures human development and equitable distribution of income); and
• Create a favorable climate for stable economic growth (the economic management index measures outward orientation, independence of the central bank, and an inverted debt-to-GDP ratio).

• Program Objective
• Course Content

Program Objective

Measuring and Monitoring Government Performance program has the following objectives:

1. To develop measures to evaluate (a) whether the public manager is delivering services consistent with citizen preferences; and (b) whether they are providing services of a given quality in the least cost manner. 
2. To provide practical guidance on service delivery performance of the government on measurement issues commonly encountered in developing countries, education, health, and infrastructure.

Course Content

This program concentrates mainly on the following four themes:

• Assessing overall government performance
• Local government performance monitoring
  • Quality of decentralized governance in fiscal and monetary policy
• Measuring Good governance
  • Outcome measures: the international experience
• Evaluating sectoral performance in the provision of:
  • Education services
  • Health services
  • Infrastructure 
  • Water; and
  • Sanitation