Assessing the equity and effectiveness of PerformanceStat systems

Abstract

The PerformanceStat approach to performance management emphasizes leadership involvement, top-down accountability routines, and rapid application of data, a configuration likely to improve measured outcomes in targeted areas but with high risk of adverse effects in non-targeted or neglected areas, such as equity and social justice. We test these hypotheses in examining the impact of CompStat policing on crime reduction, the intended target, and on racial disparities in arrest rates, a neglected consequence. Event-history analysis and semi-parametric controls of 14 years of data for a nationwide sample of U.S. police departments in small- to medium-size cities find that CompStat is associated with some reduction in crime, with variation across crime types and the indication of distinct prior trends for adopters. At the same time, CompStat significantly increases the risk of arrests among blacks, especially juveniles, supporting concerns about the adverse unintended consequences.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Obed Pasha

Obed Pasha ([email protected]) is Assistant Professor of Public Management at the School of Government, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His primary research agenda focuses on the use, adoption, and impact of performance management systems in public organizations. Other areas of interest include organizational behavior, policy evaluation, social justice, and strategic planning. Pasha received a joint Ph.D. in public policy from the Georgia State University and Georgia Tech.

Alexander Kroll

Alexander Kroll ([email protected]) is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Administration in the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs at Florida International University. His research interest is in the management of government organizations, the use of performance systems, and the role of organizational behavior in improving public services.

Michael Ash

Michael Ash ([email protected]) is Professor of Economics and Public Policy at University of Massachusetts Amherst where he co-directs the Corporate Toxics Information Project of the Political Economy Research Institute. His research applies quantitative methods to equity, efficiency, and justice, especially in environment, energy, health, and health care. Ash received a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and was previously a Staff Economist at the Council of Economic Advisers.