1st Edition

Performance Management in Local Government A Guide to Improving Public Outcomes Through Evidence-Informed Decisions

By Obed Pasha Copyright 2027
326 Pages 48 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

326 Pages 48 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Performance Management in Local Government is a comprehensive guidebook for local public managers on the effective use of performance management systems to improve public outcomes. Drawing on practical experience, case studies, and decades of research, this book demystifies the performance management process for local government leaders, offering actionable strategies for implementation,... Read more

Introduction

Section I: Defining Performance Management

1 What Is Performance Management?

2 Effective Performance Management

Section II: Strengthening The Organizational Factors

3 Mission-Oriented Climate

4 Gaining Employee Support

5 Organizational Integration

6 Tools of Integration

7 Gaining Political Support

Section III: Strategic Planning

8 Preparing for the Planning Process

9 Vision, Mission, and Goals

10 Setting Clear Objectives

11 Action Development, Planning, and Implementation

Section IV: Performance Measurement

12 Measuring What Matters

13 Getting to Know Your Data

Section V: Data Analysis and Decision-Making

14 Data Comparisons

15 Data Disaggregation

16 Analysis By Dialogue

17 Making Evidence-Informed Decisions

Section VI: What’s Next?

18 Performance Reporting to the Board and Beyond

19 Maintaining a Healthy System

Section VII: Case Studies

20 Mesa’s Trees Are Cool

21 New Performance Management System in Freddieville

Appendix: Methodology

Index

 

Biography

Obed Pasha is Associate Professor of Public Management and Director of the North Carolina Benchmarking Project in the School of Government at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA.

“Obed Pasha demystifies how performance data can be used in government, masterfully connecting measurement tools to the broader organizational environment in which they operate. This book distills decades of hard-won wisdom into an accessible format that should be of interest to anyone who wants to make government work better.”

Don Moynihan, Professor of Public Policy, University of Michigan

“An incredibly helpful, beautifully written, and highly readable book for government practitioners, with key concepts concisely identified and illustrated. The book will benefit not only local government officials, but also federal, state, and other governments in the United States and abroad to advance social outcomes.”

Shelley Metzenbaum, Former Associate Director for Performance and Personnel Management at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Fellow to the National Academy of Public Administration

“Performance Management is dynamic and continues to evolve amid constant advances in technology and the tools available, and ever‑increasing pressures on local government staff and elected officials to deliver results. This timely book brings the field up to date with the latest thinking and practical examples of what the work can look like in our city halls and the communities we serve when we bring data and evidence to bear.”

Dave Gottesman, Assistant City Manager, City of Rockville, Maryland