ABSTRACT
However, if public managers are not afforded access to
timely and adequate information, we can expect that same
mistakes will be repeated in the future.
Public organizations need to learn from their successes and
failures-but perhaps more important, they need to learn
from the successes and failures of other public organiza-
tions. Strategies for government performance improvement
are being reported in hundreds of publications and conferences. Public organiza-
tions need to unearth the mountains of available information by sharing experiences,
participating in conferences, and joining Internet-based networks such as the Pub-
lic Performance Measurement and Reporting Network (https://www.ppmrn.net), a
key information-sharing tool in the field. Launched in 2006 by the National Center
for Public Performance at Rutgers University’s School of Public Affairs and Admin-
istration, the Public Performance Measurement and Reporting Network was created
to support networks that include government officials, public and non-profit man-
agers, professors and researchers, citizens, and other stakeholders that are looking
to improve public-sector performance through the use and sharing of valid and re-
H. JAMES HARRINGTON
liable information. In supporting this network, the National Center for Public Per-
formance has launched several initiatives: an all-inclusive and up-to-date database
of publications and case studies; academic conferences; professional workshops;
books and articles dealing with measurement; an Online Public Performance Meas-
urement Certificate; and a monthly electronic newsletter.
