Management Control of Decentralization: Features, Impacts, Implications
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2005-09-01
Author(s)
Abstract
Decentralization has become a widespread objective for the provision of public services. Decentralization of structures often requires a strengthening of results-oriented control mechanisms. A popular instrument used to incorporate results-oriented control in more decentralized settings are performance agreements. By empirical content analysis of performance agreements in Swiss local governments, this article investigates the use, features and implications of performance agreements as instruments to control decentralized service provision. The study found that performance agreements are used in various institutional settings, predominantly in relationship with internal and non-profit agencies spanning a variety of different policy areas. Regarding quality of performance measurement an increase of performance and objective orientation can be stated, in the sense that the majority of documents referred to products, objectives or even indicators. Nevertheless, most performance contracts do not meet the requirements of results-oriented control in decentralized settings in the sense of including a measurable, comprehensive and weighed set of objectives also including outcomes.
Language
English
Keywords
Performance management
results oriented control
local government
Switzerland
HSG Classification
not classified
Refereed
Yes
Event Title
EGPA European Group of Public Administration Annual Conference
Event Location
Bern
Event Date
31.08.-05.09.2005
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
21259
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
open.access
Name
05 EGPA - Proeller.pdf
Size
299.96 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
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