Skip to main content

Measuring and Monitoring Local Government Performance

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Abstract

This chapter argues that disappointing results in local government performance and accountability may be attributable to a lack of progress in citizen empowerment to hold governments accountable in between elections as a median voter lacks the information to evaluate government performance and hold it to account. This chapter highlights widely used mandatory and voluntary approaches to measure and monitor local government performance. It also develops a hybrid theory and practice approach on local government accountability and discusses implementation methods and processes of this approach. This is followed by highlighting real-world examples of better as well as not-so-good practices in local government performance accountability. A concluding section draws general lessons from these experiences.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Andrews, Matthew, and Anwar Shah. 2005a. Assessing Local Government Performance in Developing Countries. In Public Services Delivery, Chapter 3, ed. Anwar Shah, 63–80. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2005b. Citizen-Centered Governance: A New Approach to Public Sector Reform. In Public Expenditure Analysis, ed. Anwar Shah, 153–182. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Audit Commission. 2002. Comprehensive Performance Assessment: Scores and Analysis of Performance. London: Audit Commission.

    Google Scholar 

  • Audit Commisssion. 2010. Comprehensive Area Assessment. London: Audit Commission. https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100806160008/http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/localgov/audit/caa/pages/default.aspx.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crivelli, Ernesto, and Anwar Shah. 2009. Fiscal Rules at the Local Level. Washington, DC: World Bank Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldfrank, Benjamin. 2007. Lessons from Latin America’s Experience with Participatory Budgeting. In Participatory Budgeting, Chapter 3, ed. Anwar Shah, 91–126. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Government of the Province of Ontario. 2019. Municipal Performance Measurement Program. https://www.ontario.ca/data/municipal-performance-measurement-program

  • de Jong, Jorrit, and Gowher Rizvi, eds. 2008. The State of Access. Success and Failure of Democracies to Create Equal Opportunities. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, Rob, and Goetz, Anne Marie. 1999. Accounts and Accountability: Theoretical Implications of the Right-to-Information Movement in India. Third World Quarterly 20 (3): 603–622.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niesner, Helen. 1999. Local Government Auditing -Improving the Performance of Government in the Next Century. Government Accountants Journal 68: 32–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paul, Samuel. 1992. Accountability in Public Services: Exit, Voice and Control. World Development 20: 1047–1060.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ———. 1996. Strengthening Public Accountability Through Participation. In Participation in Practice, World Bank Discussion Paper 333, ed. Jennifer Rietbergen-McCracken. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2007. India: Civic Participation in Subnational Budgeting. In Participatory Budgeting. On CD ROM, ed. Anwar Shah. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, Alasdair. 2005. Issues Associated with the Implementation of Governmentwide Performance Monitoring. In Public Services Delivery, Chapter1, ed. Anwar Shah, 1–38. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shah, Anwar. 2005. On Getting the Giant to Kneel. Approaches to a Change in the Bureaucratic Culture. In Fiscal Management, Chapter 9, ed. Anwar Shah, 211–228. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———, ed. 2006. Local Governance in Developing Countries. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2008. Demanding to Be Served. Holding Governments to Account for Improved Access. In The State of Access. Success and Failure of Democracies to Create Equal Opportunities, Chapter 10, ed. Jorrit de Jong and Gowher Rizvi, 207–228. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2010. Sponsoring a Race to the Top: The Case for Output-Based Grants for Merit Goods. In Financing Local Governments, ed. Junghun Kim and Jurgen Lotz. Ministry of Finance: Copenhagen.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2014a. Responsibility with Accountability: A FAIR Governance Framework for Performance Accountability of Local Governments. Journal of Economics and Business, Croatia, December 2014 (Zbornik radova Ekonomskog fakulteta u Rijeci: časopis za ekonomsku teoriju i praksu/Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics).

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2014b. Local Public Finance and Debt Management in the Peoples Republic of China. Report to the Ministry of Finance, PRC, April 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shah, Anwar, and Chunli Shen. 2007. Citizen-Centric Performance Budgeting at the Local Level. In Local Budgeting, Chapter 6, ed. Anwar Shah, 151–178. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wampler, Brian. 2007. A Guide to Participatory Budgeting. In Participatory Budgeting, Chapter 1, ed. Anwar Shah, 21–54. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brian Dollery .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Dollery, B., Kitchen, H., McMillan, M., Shah, A. (2020). Measuring and Monitoring Local Government Performance. In: Local Public, Fiscal and Financial Governance. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36725-1_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36725-1_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-36724-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-36725-1

  • eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics