Performance in Government

This paper sets out the recent history and evolution of the UK governments' performance measurement, monitoring and management systems from the period since 1997 and the election of the New Labor government, until today. Although, as the paper shows many of the changes the New Labor government introduced were at least partially prefigured in changes introduced in the previous two decades or more. The reason that the period since 1997 is so important is because, it represents the period in which the UK governments' system became almost universal across public activities, including measuring performance at the highest levels of government itself. The core of the performance policies developed by government over this period have been the Public Service Agreements (PSAs) promulgated since 1998, of which there have now been five rounds (1998; 2000; 2002; 2004; 2007). Whilst PSAs are not the only performance policies, or measurement, monitoring and reporting systems, they have come to be seen as the pinnacle of the whole system and, in intention at least, driving developments throughout the public services. The paper will cover only the UK government. Over the past decade significant constitutional changes have devolved some central government powers to first the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly, and then more recently the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Talbot, Colin
Format: Working Paper biblioteca
Language:English
en_US
Published: World Bank 2010-11
Subjects:ACCOUNTABILITY, ACCOUNTABILITY ARRANGEMENTS, ACCOUNTABILITY RELATIONSHIPS, ACCOUNTING, ACTS OF PARLIAMENT, ANALYTICAL SKILLS, ANNUAL BUDGETS, ANNUAL PERFORMANCE, ANNUAL REPORT, ANNUAL REPORTS, AUDIT COMMISSION, AUDIT OFFICE, AUDITOR, AUDITOR GENERAL, AUDITORS, BENEFITS OF PERFORMANCE MONITORING, BEST PRACTICE, BUDGET PLANNING, BUDGET PROCESS, BUSINESS PLAN, BUSINESS PLANNING, BUSINESS PLANS, CABINET, CABINET SYSTEM, CAPABILITY, CAPITAL PROJECTS, CAPITAL SPENDING, CENTRAL GOVERNMENT, CIVIL SERVANTS, CIVIL SERVICE, CIVIL SOCIETY, COALITION GOVERNMENT, COPYRIGHT, CRIMINAL, DATA QUALITY, DEBT, DEBT SERVICING, DECISION MAKING, DELIVERY OF SERVICES, DEMOCRACIES, ECONOMIC STABILITY, ELECTION, EVALUATION CAPACITY, EXECUTIVE BRANCH, EXECUTIVE GOVERNMENT, EXPENDITURE, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT, GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, GOVERNMENT INTERVENTIONS, GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE, GOVERNMENT POLICY, GOVERNMENT PRIORITIES, GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, HEALTH SECTOR, HEALTH SERVICES, IMPACT ASSESSMENT, INFLATION, INITIATIVE, INNOVATION, INNOVATIONS, INSPECTION, INTERNAL CAPABILITY, INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS, JUDICIARY, JUSTICE, KNOWLEDGE SHARING, LANDSLIDE ELECTION, LEGAL BASIS, LEGISLATION, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, MEDIA, MINISTER, MINISTERS, MISTRUST, MONITOR PERFORMANCE, NATIONAL AUDIT, NATIONAL STATISTICS, ON-LINE SERVICE, PARLIAMENT, PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES, PDF, PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS, PERFORMANCE CULTURE, PERFORMANCE DATA, PERFORMANCE INDICATORS, PERFORMANCE INFORMATION, PERFORMANCE ISSUES, PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT, PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT MODEL, PERFORMANCE MEASURE, PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT, PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM, PERFORMANCE MEASURES, PERFORMANCE MONITORING, PERFORMANCE MONITORING SYSTEM, PERFORMANCE OF GOVERNMENT, PERFORMANCE REPORTING, PERFORMANCE REPORTS, PERFORMANCE TARGETS, PERFORMANCES, PERSONAL COMMUNICATION, POLICY COMMITMENTS, POLICY DECISIONS, POLICY FORMULATION, POLICY MAKERS, POLICY MAKING, PRIME MINISTER, PRIME MINISTERS, PRIVATE SECTORS, PUBLIC, PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY, PUBLIC ACCOUNTS, PUBLIC ACTIVITIES, PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, PUBLIC AGENCIES, PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, PUBLIC EXPENDITURE, PUBLIC EXPENDITURE SYSTEM, PUBLIC FINANCES, PUBLIC MANAGERS, PUBLIC MONEY, PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS, PUBLIC SECTOR, PUBLIC SECTOR EFFICIENCY, PUBLIC SECTOR PERFORMANCE, PUBLIC SERVANTS, PUBLIC SERVICE, PUBLIC SERVICE AGREEMENTS, PUBLIC SERVICE REFORM, PUBLIC SERVICES, PUBLIC SPENDING, REFORM PLAN, REGIONAL GOVERNMENT, REMEDY, RESOURCE ACCOUNTING, RESULTS, RULING PARTY, SELECT COMMITTEE, SELECT COMMITTEES, SEPARATION OF POWERS, SERVICE DELIVERY, SOCIAL POLICY, STRUCTURAL REFORM, TARGETS, TAX, TAX COLLECTION, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, TELEPHONE, TIME FRAME, TOTAL SPENDING, TRANSPARENCY, TREASURY, UNCERTAINTY, USE OF PERFORMANCE DATA, USER, USERS, USES, WEB, WEB SITE, WHITE PAPER,
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/218081468338485921/Performance-in-government-the-evolving-system-of-performance-and-evaluation-measurement-monitoring-and-management-in-the-United-Kingdom
https://hdl.handle.net/10986/27910
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This paper sets out the recent history and evolution of the UK governments' performance measurement, monitoring and management systems from the period since 1997 and the election of the New Labor government, until today. Although, as the paper shows many of the changes the New Labor government introduced were at least partially prefigured in changes introduced in the previous two decades or more. The reason that the period since 1997 is so important is because, it represents the period in which the UK governments' system became almost universal across public activities, including measuring performance at the highest levels of government itself. The core of the performance policies developed by government over this period have been the Public Service Agreements (PSAs) promulgated since 1998, of which there have now been five rounds (1998; 2000; 2002; 2004; 2007). Whilst PSAs are not the only performance policies, or measurement, monitoring and reporting systems, they have come to be seen as the pinnacle of the whole system and, in intention at least, driving developments throughout the public services. The paper will cover only the UK government. Over the past decade significant constitutional changes have devolved some central government powers to first the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly, and then more recently the Northern Ireland Assembly.