Measuring and reporting public sector outputs/outcomes: Exploratory evidence from Australia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on a study of performance measurement and reporting practices of four government departments in Australia.Design/methodology/approach – Relying on the “context” and “content” aspects of the institutional and strategic choice literatures, the paper suggests how external institutions such as government regulatory frameworks and internal organizational contexts such as strategic plans may shape the design of performance measurement and reporting of government departments. Texts and contents from archival sources such as published annual reports and department web sites provided insightful and interesting findings.Findings – The paper reveals that performance measurement systems design as a central thrust to the subject government departments' strategic planning and management framework. Furthermore, content analyses of the data indicate a clear linkage between the recently introduced “managing for outcomes” framework and performance measurement practices of go...

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