Outcome-based Performance Management in the Public Sector

This book highlights the use of an outcome-oriented view of performance to frame and assess the desirability of the effects produced by adopted policies, so to allow governments not only to consider effects in the short, but also the long run. Furthermore, it does not only focus on policy from the perspective of a single unit or institution, but also under an inter-institutional viewpoint. This book features theoretical and empirical research on how public organizations have evolved their performance management systems toward outcome measures that may allow one to better deal with wicked problems. Today, ‘wicked problems’ characterize most of governmental planning involving social issues. These are complex policy problems, underlying high risk and uncertainty, and a high interdependency among variables affecting them. Such problems cannot be clustered within the boundaries of a single organization, or referred to specific administrative levels or ministries. They are characterized by dynamic complexity, involving multi-level, multi-actor and multi-sectoral challenges. In the last decade, a number of countries have started to develop new approaches that may enable to improve cohesion, to effectively deal with wicked problems. The chapters in this book showcase these approaches, which encourage the adoption of more flexible and pervasive governmental systems to overcome such complex problems.

Outcome-Based Performance Management in the Public Sector is divided into five parts. Part 1 aims at shedding light on problems and issues implied in the design and implementation of “outcome-based” performance management systems in the public sector.

Then Part 2 illustrates the experiences, problems, and evolving trends in three different countries (Scotland, USA, and Italy) towards the adoption of outcome-based performance management systems in the public sector. Such analyses are conducted at both the national and local government levels. The third part of the book frames how outcome-based performance management can enhance public governance and inter-institutional coordination. Part 4 deals with the illustration of challenges and results from different public sector domains. Finally the book concludes in Part 5 as it examines innovative methods and tools that may support decision makers in dealing with the challenges of outcome-based performance management in the public sector.

Though the book is specifically focused on a research target, it will also be useful to practitioners and master students in public administration . 

Elio Borgonovi is Professor of Public Management, Director of the Centre for Research on Health Care Management, Director of the Institute of Public Administration and Health Care Management at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. Elio Borgonovi has been Dean of Bocconi School of Management (SDA) (1997-2002), member of the Board (1995-2004) and Vice President (2002-2004) of the Italian Academy of Management (AIDEA) and President of ASFOR, the Italian Association of Management Schools (1993-1997). Professor Borgonovi is a member of several regional and ministerial committees and commissions for healthcare planning and the introduction of management systems in various public bodies. He has also been a member of the scientific committees and served on the boards of directors of numerous different national and European organizations, such as EQUIS and EFMD. He has written a number of books, papers and essays on public administration and management, healthcare systems, management issues and tools for nonprofit organizations, public utility companies and public interest institutions in general. He is the editor in chief of Azienda Pubblica and Mecosan Journals and has been a reviewer for the European Journal of Heath Economics since 2003.

Eugenio Anessi-Pessina is Professor of Public and Health-Care Management at Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, Italy. In addition, he is a senior fellow at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (Department of Health Care Systems) and the editor of Azienda Pubblica (a leading Italian-language public management journal). His research interests include public sector budgeting and accounting, health care management, and management control in government and health care organizations.

Carmine Bianchi is Professor of Business & Public Management at the University of Palermo (Italy), where is the scientific coordinator of CED4 System Dynamics Group. He is the director of the Doctoral level program in “Model Based Public Planning, Policy Design, & Management”, and of the Master level program in Public Management.

Professor Bianchi is member of the Steering Committee of the “European Master in System Dynamics”, a joint degree among the Universities of Palermo, Nijmegen (the Netherlands), Bergen (Norway), and Lisbon (Portugal). This is an “Erasmus Mundus” funded program, sponsored by the European Commission.

He has published in numerous academic and professional journals. He also serves on the Scientific Committee of various academic publications.

Professor Bianchi has an extensive international research and consulting experience with public and private sector organizations. Such activities consist in the design of policies and the outline of programs linking strategy and implementation. Consulting and education projects that Prof. Bianchi has undertaken cover: strategic planning and control, performance management and reporting, as well as System Dynamics modeling for performance improvement and crisis prevention (Dynamic Performance Management).

In the last decade, Professor Bianchi has been strengthening an international network related to “Dynamic Performance Management”. He has been collaborating with Universities throughout the world, ranging from Europe (Bergen, Norway; Nijmegen, The Netherlands; St. Gallen, Switzerland; KTH, Stockholm, Sweden), to Australasia (Top Education Institute, Sydney; Multimedia University and National University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur; NAPA - Hanoi; Rangsit University, Bangkok; Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta; National Academy of Public Administration – NAPA, Hanoi), and America (University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Brazil).

In the USA, Professor Bianchi has collaborated extensively with the School of Government of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. More recently he has undertaken projects with the Center for Human Resource Management State, Stony Brook University, with the School of Public Affairs at the Baruch College, New York, and with the College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore.

He has been also visiting professor at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, University at Albany (USA), at Top Education Institute, Sydney (Australia), and at Unicamp, Faculty of Technology, Limeira (Brazil). 

He has also run professional workshops in: Africa (Tripoli, Tunis), Australasia (Bangkok, Brisbane, Hanoi, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Singapore), Europe (Istanbul, London, Milan, San Gallen, Stockholm), and Latin America (Buenos Aires – Argentina, Brasilia, Sao Paolo – Brazil, Colima – Mexico).