The impact of rational and political factors on performance measurement and its utilisation: analysis of municipal governments from Mississippi

ABSTRACT

Public performance measurement and management are orthodox practices, but existing scholarship heavily focuses on large and exemplary cities. Thus, generalising lessons from large municipalities to smaller, and mostly rural, localities has been challenging. This study uses an updated rational/technocratic and political/cultural framework, focuses on municipalities in Mississippi, and examines the predictors of performance measurement and its utilisation. The results of a survey administered to local municipal officials provide support that organisational capacity is a critical factor for performance measurement adoption. At the same time, innovative culture is necessary for the utilisation of performance measures.

KEYWORDS:

• Performance measurement and management
• municipality
• public management
• capacity
• innovative culture

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tamara Dimitrijevska-Markoski

Tamara Dimitrijevska-Markoski is an assistant professor of public policy and administration at Mississippi State University, USA. Her primary research interests are performance measurement and management and collaborative service delivery. Her research has been published in Public Administration Review, Public Administration Quarterly, International Journal of Public Policy, and others.