Performance Management Systems: Clashing Symbols or Marching Tunes?

1. Performance Management Systems: Clashing Symbols or Marching Tunes? Dr Ruth Dixon Department of Politics and International Relations University of Oxford Managing the Politics of National Performance Targets: Country Scorecards, National Results Frameworks, Delivery Units World Bank Seminar 3 May 2012

2. Performance Management Systems: Clashing Symbols or Marching Tunes? Dr Ruth Dixon Department of Politics and International Relations University of Oxford Christopher Hood and Ruth Dixon, 2010.  The Political Payoff from Performance Target Systems JPART 20 (Suppl. 2): i281-i298.

3. UK Government Performance Systems Ruth Dixon 2012

4. Symbolic or Substantive?What did they claim? Ruth Dixon 2012

5. Symbolic or Substantive?Did achievements match claims? Ruth Dixon 2012

6. Education Standards Rose in Blair’s First Term 1997 SEU 2001 PMDU Ruth Dixon 2012

7. Hospital Waiting Lists Fell in Blair’s Second Term Source: Department of Health Annual Report 2006 Ruth Dixon 2012

8. Public Opinion Improved British Social Attitudes Survey Blair’s second term Ruth Dixon 2012

9. Targets became increasingly unpopular with public and press UK Newspaper Articles on Health and Education Targets Hoodand Dixon, 2010 Ruth Dixon 2012

10. Targets remained popular with central bureaucrats and NHS managers Whitehall Civil Servants interviewed 2004-2005 Opinion of targets for raising standards in public services Negative 4 % Neutral 34 % Positive 62 % Hoodand Dixon, 2010 NHS Managers surveyed June 2010 Q: Targets are history and that’s a good thing. Source: http://www.nhsmanagers.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/targetspressrelease.pdf

11. Delivery Targets as Symbols – or Levers for Improvement? • Credit claiming • Blame shifting • Demonstrate control • Political reputation • Appear fiscally responsible See Hood 2011 The Blame Game • If standards improve • Incentive to succeed • ‘Impose’ best practice • Delivery important • Understand spending “Action expresses priorities” (Gandhi) Ruth Dixon 2012

12. Acknowledgements I am very grateful to Christopher Hood, Gladstone Professor of Government, University of Oxford, who led the research described here and who has shaped my thinking on political science. My thanks also to Dr Catherine Haddon, Institute for Government, and to several current and former senior civil servants for helpful discussions. This work was funded by the Leverhulme Trust and the ESRC Public Services Programme. See also xgov.politics.ox.ac.uk and christopherhood.net Ruth Dixon 2012