Performance measurement.

• Position: From the Library

"Outcome-Based Performance Management in the Public Sector: Implications Effectiveness"

Carol J. Heinrich

Public Administration Review, November/December 2002, pp. 712-725.

In this article, the author addresses questions about the design and management of public sector performance management systems and their effectiveness as policy tools for increasing governmental accountability. She draws from the experience of the federal Job Training Partnership Act program, or JTPA, which provides federal monies to states for job search and placement assistance, counseling, job-readiness, case management, and supportive services with the goal of increasing earnings and reducing welfare dependency among low-income individuals. Empirical evidence is used to study the question of whether performance evaluations based on limited data, such as from government records, can generate enough information to effectively guide program administrators and policy decisions. Findings suggest that although there are some differences in the estimates of structural, policy, and management effects on participant earnings based on the type of data used--administrative (outcome) versus experimental...