THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN RETRACTED: STRENGTHENING THE LINK BETWEEN PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT AND DECISION MAKING

Retraction: The following article from Public Administration, ‘Strengthening the link between performance measurement and decision making’, by Jeannette Taylor, published online on 18 December 2009 in Wiley Online Library ( www.wileyonlinelibrary.com ) and in Volume 89:3, September 2011, pp. 860–878 (DOI: 10.1111/j.1467‐9299.2009.01802.x), has been retracted by agreement between the author, the journal Editor in Chief, Arjen Boin, and Blackwell Publishing Ltd. The retraction has been agreed due to a production error, as a duplicate version of the article, entitled ‘Strengthening the link between performance measurement and decision making’ by the same author (DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9299.2009.01788.x ) was previously published in volume 87:4 of the same journal. The publishers apologise to the author and to our readers for this error. REFERENCE Taylor, J. (2011), Strengthening the Link Between Performance Measurement and Decision Making. Public Administration, 89: 860–878. doi: 10.1111/j.1467‐9299.2009.01802 Many public agencies now face dual pressures to meet external accountability demands on one hand, and improve their internal performance on the other. This begs the question whether the demands that are made on public agencies to externally report on their performance have a limited or wide ranging impact on the utilization of performance indicators (PIs) for internal improvements. This article addresses this question via a small group of public agencies and public accountability authorities in Australia. It also examines the main factors that affect the use of PIs for decision making. The evidence suggests that the agencies use PIs more for meeting external reporting requirements than for achieving internal improvements. Various constraints on the use of PIs were identified, mainly technical problems, and to a lesser extent, political and organizational issues.     

Public budgeting and financial management curriculum reform: A conceptual framework

Public budgeting and financial management (PBFM) education has been undergoing intense scrutiny which can be seen through many professional conferences, journal symposia, and recently, the creation in 1984 of a Task Force on Budgeting and Financial Management Curriculum Reform by the Section on Budgeting and Financial Management of the American Society for Public Administration. This study analyzes pedagogic deficits in PBFM, suggests a comprehensive scope of PBFM, points to some dilemmas in PBFM curriculum design or reform, proposes some models for a curriculum reform, and raises some implementation constraints in each model.     

The literature on local government contracting out

Privatisation of Local Government Services, Jill Walker and Roger Moore, Workers’ Educational Association, 1983, pp. 24, 90p.

Public Jobs for Private Profit: Fighting Contractors in Wandsworth, Dave Benlow, Peter Ramage, Mike French, Dave Simmonds and Dexter Whitfield, Wandsworth Trade Union Publications, pp. 64, £1.40.

Contracting Out in the Public Sector, Keith Hartley, Cyril Tomkins, Cecil Rix, Brian Whitworth, Clifford Smith, Leslie Paine, RIPA, 1984, pp. 59, £3.50.

Fighting Privatisation: The Victory in Gloucester, Tony Williams, Institute for Workers’ Control, 1983, pp. 44, 90.

A Review of Private Approaches for Delivery of Public Services, Harry Hatry, The Urban Institute Press, 1983, pp. 105.

Hands off Bury's Bins! Manchester Employment Research Group, Bury Joint Trade Union Committee, 1983, pp. 32.

Contractors’ Failures: The Privatisation Experience, TUC, 1984, pp. 38, £2.00.     

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RIPA?

The financial history of the RIPA from its incorporation as a company in 1976 to 1989 was a volatile one; but there had been sufficient good years to justify cautious optimism as we entered 1990/91. However, a combination of circumstances – which, if they had occurred separately might have been overcome – were, taken together, to deliver the Institute a mortal blow. These led to a deteriorating cash-flow position. This looked to have been eased by a major restructuring and the sale of the International Division, but when the 1991/92 accounts were finalized the loss for the year was revealed as £241,000 and there was an excess of liabilities over assets of £231,000. An appeal was launched to corporate members, but before the results of this could be fully tested, the cash-flow position once again became critical and the bank lost confidence in the Institute's ability to trade out of its difficulties. The Council had no alternative but to proceed to receivership.     

PRIVATIZATION UNDER MRS. THATCHER: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Public Administration not only publishes original articles but it also seeks to provide material which will be useful to teachers and students alike. In order to strengthen this facet of the journal, the editors are introducing an occasional series of articles which will review the current state of the literature in the various sub-fields within the subject of Public Administration. This contribution by David Marsh reviews the 'state of the art' on privatization in Britain. The objective is to draw together the extensive literature in a systematic fashion by identifying key texts and the main research findings. His review examines the origins of privatization, the several meanings of this term, the objectives of government policy, and assesses the extent to which objectives have been realized. He also draws attention to lacunae in the literature and important areas requiring further research.
The editors would welcome suggestions for future articles in this series. Any prospective author should contact the editors to discuss the proposed topic and, where feasible, we will provide assistance by obtaining books for review.     

The Vehicle and General Affair: Some Reflections for Public Administration in Britain

This article is bared on a lecture given in December 1972 to the Northern Regional Group of the RIPA. Dr. Chapman is Reader in Politics, University of Durham.     

PUBLIC SECTOR PAY: JUSTICE WITHOUT INFLATION

This is the text of the second annual Redcliffe-Maud Memorial Lecture, organized by the RIPA and sponsored by PA Consulting Group, given in June 1985.     

REVIEWS

NATIONAL STYLES OF REGULATION: ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY IN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES David Vogel THE ADMINISTRATION OF STANDARDS OF CONDUCT IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT: A RESEARCH REPORT Alan Parker, Aidan Rose and John Taylor REGIONALISM IN EUROPEAN POLITICS Roger Morgan (ed.) PROMOTING LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY Colin Mellors (ed.) THE NATIONAL WORLD OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT R. A. W. Rhodes URBAN POLITICAL THEORY AND THE MANAGEMENT OF FISCAL STRESS Michael Goldsmith and Søren Vinadsen (eds) THE EVOLUTION OF SPATIAL POLICY: A CASE STUDY OF INNER-URBAN POLICY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 1968–1981 Paul Lawless Pion HOUSING LAND POLICY Yvonne Rydin A PRICE WORTH PAYING? A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF GOVERNMENT GRANT AID TO VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS Diana Leat, Sue Tester BRITISH STEEL: AN INDUSTRY BETWEEN THE STATE AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR Heidrun Abromeit PUBLIC EXPENDITURE AND THE SELECT COMMITTEES OF THE COMMONS Vilma Flegmann Gower THE NATURE OF UNITED NATIONS BUREAUCRACIES David Pitt and Thomas Weiss (eds.) MAKING THE MANAGERIAL PRESIDENCY: COMPREHENSIVE REORGANIZATION PLANNING 1905–1980 Peri E Arnold POLITICS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN HUNGARY Gy. Szoboszlai (ed). POLICY MANAGEMENT AND POLICY ASSESSMENT: DEVELOPMENTS IN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT Proceedings of a Seminar organized by Peat-Marwick and the RIPA Royal Institute of Public Administration     

REVIEWS

Book reviews in this article:
APPROACHES IN PUBLIC POLICY Steve Leach and John Stewart (eds.).
PROFESSIONAL POWER AND SOCIAL WELFARE Paul Wilding Routledge and Kegan Paul.
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMIC POWER David Coombes.
REPRESENTATIVE BUREAUCRACY AND THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM Samuel Krislov and David H. Rosenbloom.
ENGINEERS, MANAGERS AND POLITICIANS: THE FIRST FIFTEEN YEARS OF NATIONALISED ELECTRICITY SUPPLY IN BRITAIN Leslie Hannah.
VALUE FOR MONEY AUDITS Seminar proceedings, Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. with RIPA.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN IRELAND Desmond Roche.
INNER CITY REGENERATION Robert K. Home.
THE MOTORWAY AGE — ROAD AND TRAFFIC POLICIES IN POST-WAR BRITAIN David Starkie.
FAMILY ISSUES AND PUBLIC POLICY Edward Craven, Lesley Rimmer and Malcolm Wicks.
WHITHER STATE WELFARE: POLICY AND IMPLEMENTATION IN THE PERSONAL SOCIAL SERVICES, 1979–80 Adrian Webb and Gerald Wistow.
INSTITUTIONS AND ENERGY CONSERVATION Conference Proceedings, Policy Studies Institute with RIPA.     

Public administration and the constitutional bicentennial: An essay on research

The forthcoming centennial of American Public Administration falls in the same year as the bicentennial of the Constitution. This co-incidence suggests the propriety of examining the constitutional origins of the profession of Public Administration. This article notes the clash between the “two cultures” of administration and constitutionalism, proposes reasons for serious research into the constitutional foundations of contemporary administration, and provides several examples of suitable questions for this research.     

Public Administration Education and Europeanization: Prospects for the Emancipation of a Discipline?

The twin processes of Europeanization and Transition provide significant opportunities for the development of Public Administration education in Europe and provide a possibility to further the 'emancipation' of the discipline. In terms of Europeanization, the increasing challenges of politico-administrative interaction between national administrations and the institutions of the European Union illustrate that it is essential for Public Administration graduates to acquire an informed understanding of both the European context of policy-making and of the administrative organization and culture of other member states and countries associated with the EU. As a second element, the transition process in Central and Eastern European states could provide the discipline with further impetus to search for its own identity and approach in a European context. This article reviews the key findings of the results of the comprehensive inventories undertaken by the SOCRATES Thematic Network in Public Administration with regard to the current direction in which Public Administration education in Europe is moving. It addresses whether attention to European issues is reflected in the curriculum as well as links with the profession and whether cross-fertilization between the development of new programmes in the transition states and PA academic programmes in the EU member states has actually occurred.     

The Uganda Resettlement Board and Hiving-off: Some Possibilities for Future Research

An address by the Chairman of the Uganda Resettlement Board to the Annual General Meeting of the RIPA on 10 May. Sir Charles was Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office from 1957 to 1966 and until recently Deputy Chairman of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. He had completed two years as Chairman of the Institute's Executive Council.     

Historical change and the administrative state: An analysis of the theoretical foundations of public administration

This article offers an explanation for the theoretical underdevelopment of Public Administration. It argues that Public Administration studies the relations among elements of the administrative state and between the administrative state and its environment dissociated from time. The ahistorical orientation of the discipline has drastically reduced its capacity for theory building.     

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION: THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE OMBUDSMAN

In an article in Public Administration five years ago I reported on the operation of the new freedom of information laws in Australia, Canada and New Zealand (Hazell 1989). Despite these Commonwealth precedents, under Mrs Thatcher's premiership the British government maintained that freedom of information was incompatible with the Westminster system of ministerial accountability to Parliament. Under John Major that line has softened a bit, and last year the British government took an important step towards freedom of information, with the introduction of its new code of practice on open government. The code of practice will be policed by the Ombudsman; and this article considers the implications of this novel extension to his jurisdiction.     

The Future of Public Administration in Denmark: Projections, Prospects and High Hopes

Public Administration research in Denmark has a relatively short history. It was first initiated in the 1970s and was developed from public law. However, from an initial homogeneity it has become increasingly pluralistic in its approach due to three factors: a strong orientation towards the study of institutional reform in the public sector, inspiration from the international literature and the specific institutional set up of the academic community that divides it into separate schools. It is possible to distinguish three trends in today's Danish Public Administration research. These trends are inspired by historical institutionalism, rational choice institutionalism and sociological institutionalism, respectively. What is needed in the future is an increased dialogue between these trends. The purpose of the dialogue should not be to reach for a new homogeneity but to increase the critical debate among different schools in order to increase the general quality of public administration research in Denmark.     

Global scientific production,international cooperation,and knowledge evolution of public administration

Public administration is a discipline with considerable history, and is also a diverse, interdisciplinary field in social science. To analyze its evolution, discover the present research foci, and predict future development trends, this study applied scientometrics visualization technology to evaluate over 72,000 scientific articles from the 1920s to 2020s. This research referred to the SSCI and JCR databases to gather scientific data of the discipline and the journals' impact factor. Consequently, paper citations, cited journals, journal co-citations, author co-citations, authoritative papers, top countries, productive institutes, average references, and research collaboration trends were analyzed on the bases of the published literature. This study found top productive journals in the discipline, discovered productive countries and institutes, present the research foci, and predicted future development trends. Through this study, scientific production, international cooperation, and knowledge evolution mode of public administration research offers a clear knowledge map of the public administration discipline.     

REVIEWS

BETWEEN CENTRE AND LOCALITY Stewart Ranson, George Jones and Kieron Walsh (eds.)
DECENTRALIZATION: THE TERRITORIAL DIMENSION OF THE STATE B. C. Smith George Allen and Unwin
THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER Anthony King (ed)
TODAY'S CIVIL SERVICE Dermot Englefield (ed.)
BOROUGH GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS: READING 1835–1985 Alan Alexander George Allen and Unwin
LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND THE CREATION OF EMPLOYMENT J. A. Chandler and Paul Lawless Gower
PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT IN WESTERN NATIONS R. Rose et al
SECRET SERVICE: THE MAKING OF THE BRITISH INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY Christopher Andrew Heinemann
CONCORDE AND DISSENT: EXPLAINING HIGH TECHNOLOGY PROJECT FAILURES IN BRITAIN AND FRANCE Elliot J. Feldman
THE POLICY OF RESOURCE ALLOCATION AND ITS RAMIFICATIONS: A REVIEW Calum Paton
HOW ADOLF HITLER REFORMED WHITEHALL Peter Hennessy and Sir Douglas Hague Strathclyde
DEVELOPING THE FMI PRINCIPLES: CHANGES IN PROCESS AND CULTURE Proceedings of a Seminar organized by Peat Marwick and the RIPA RIPA 1985
GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTING: SELF INSTRUCTION PACKAGE Cabinet Office (Management and Personnel Office) and HM Treasury
YEARS OF RECOVERY: BRITISH ECONOMIC POLICY 1945–51 Alec Cairncross Methuen
LIFE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Leo Klinkers (ed.)
LIVERPOOL ON THE BRINK: ONE CITY'S STRUGGLE AGAINST GOVERNMENT CUTS Michael Parkinson
THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR IN BRITISH SOCIAL SERVICES Maria Brenton Longman     

Testing for Contagion/Diffusion of Terrorism in State Dyads

This article reviews the new journal Critical Studies on Terrorism. The fashionable approach that this journal adopts towards the contemporary phenomenon of terrorism maintains that a “critical” and “self-reflexive” approach to the study of terrorism reveals a variety of shortcomings in the discipline. These range from a distorting over-identification with the Western democratic state perspective on terrorism to a failure to empathize with the misunderstood, non-Western, “other.” This review examines whether the claims of the critical approach adds anything, other than pedantry and obscurity, to our understanding of the phenomenon. It concludes that it does not.