Health system performance measurement is a ubiquitous phenomenon. Many authors have identified multiple methodological and substantive problems with performance measurement practices. Despite the validity of these criticisms and their cross-national character, the practice of health system performance measurement persists. Theodore Marmor suggests that performance measurement invokes an “incantatory response” wrapped within “linguistic muddle.” In this article, I expand upon Marmor’s insights using Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical framework to suggest that, far from an aberration, the “linguistic muddle” identified by Marmor is an indicator of a broad struggle about the representation and classification of public health services as a public good. I present a case study of performance measurement from Alberta, Canada, examining how this representational struggle occurs and what the stakes are.
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