This is an article about performance in government. It considers how performance, in a variety of senses, has become a dominant theme in probably the majority of OECD countries (although not all). It asks some fundamental questions about what is 'performance' in, and of, government by reflecting on what governments do in terms of the policy instruments available to them. It looks briefly at how developments in the use and understanding of 'performance' concepts (and related issues of quality) have been changing in the private sector - especially the emergence of new holistic models of performance or 'balanced scorecards'. It discusses how far these are relevant to public services performance, concluding that while there is much to learn there are also key areas of difference between 'performance' in the private and public sectors. Drawing on the evident strengths of the more holistic models developed in the private sector, it outlines a similar approach - a balanced framework - for public services, but one which takes account of the constraints and purposes of public service - the Public Service Excellence Model.
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