Abstract:
The importance of measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of governmental
programmes features prominently in almost every discourse related to programme
monitoring and evaluation. Phrases like ‘what gets measured gets done and if
you cannot measure it you cannot manage it’ attest to the significance attached
to measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of governmental programmes.
Despite the apparent appreciation of the benefit of performance measurement,
how to measure the performance of governmental programmes continues to elude
academics and practitioners of public management.
This article, informed by available literature on performance measurement in the
public sector and the New Public Management paradigm, contends that measuring
the efficiency and effectiveness of governmental programmes requires development
of a performance measurement framework or logical model consisting of outcomes,
outputs, activities and inputs for the programme. Performance indicators, that
specify what to measure, should consequently be developed for each component
in the results framework. Since performance measurement hinges upon availability
of timely and reliable information, identification of the sources of information
on performance indicators; determination of the methods and frequency of data
collection; and assignment of the responsibility for data collection are stressed
in discussion.
