Performance of Performance Standards

Incentives and accountability for government performance are central to contemporary government reform agendas across the globe. Still, the lessons on intended and unintended effects of incentive and performance management systems from several decades of study and practice do not appear to be reflected in the current design and implementation of these systems in the public sector. This serves as motivation for the contributors to this volume. Led by Nobel laureate James J. Heckman, they use U.S. employment and training programs as their laboratory for investigation. Drawing on a variety of superior data sources, they explore how performance standards and incentives influence the behavior of public managers and agency employees, their approaches to service delivery, and ultimately, the outcomes for participants.