Will what is measured be used? An analysis of performance management systems in Pakistani state organizations

Abstract

Purpose

With performance as a core theme of public sector reforms, this article explores performance management systems in inter-organizational settings while testing the effect of performance measurement on its use for accountability and control. Using economic neo-institutional perspective in a hierarchical context with turbulent political history, the article investigates the variations in the use of performance information in inter-institutional settings across different legal categories of state organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The performance management framework of Van Dooren et al. (2010) is employed as the basis for this research that explains the link between performance measurement and use. To explore the management of performance in Pakistan, the survey data was collected in 2018; after two democratic governments completed their tenures.

Findings

The research indicated a lower extent of performance measurement and use by the parent ministries in the democratic regimes. This finding adds to the implications of economic institutional theory in a politically turbulent context, where political actors place less emphasis on performance and more emphasis on procedures. It was confirmed that the ministries use the measured performance information for accountability and control on the results, but the moderating role of legal categories in the performance framework did not get confirmation.

Originality/value

The article empirically tests the performance management framework from a Western context in a developing country that has not been discussed frequently in the performance management systems literature.

Citation

Zahra, A. and Bouckaert, G. (2021), "Will what is measured be used? An analysis of performance management systems in Pakistani state organizations", International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 34 No. 3, pp. 274-291. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPSM-03-2020-0073