ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the development and use of program performance measures on the local government level. Local government organizations manifest elements of decoupled systems in that an event or disturbance that occurs in one substantive service delivery system does not necessarily affect any other service systems. The reform movements that sought to "reinvent" government in the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century pursued two basic goals. The chapter also examines the key issues that affect the efforts of local government managers to implement program performance measurement systems, and to enhance the productivity of their organizations by tying these measures to the resource allocation process. The National Academy of Public Administration passed a resolution in support of performance measurement in 1991, and the American Society for Public Administration passed a similar resolution in 1992. The process of turning performance data into useful information will require some investment in technical skills and training.
