The Demand Side of Performance Measurement: Explaining Councillors' Utilization of Performance Information in Policymaking

Abstract

ABSTRACT The article's starting point is that the persuasiveness of arguments for and against performance information's usefulness for elected representatives in government is limited by a lack of empirical evidence. Based on survey data from Norwegian local government, the article identifies factors that condition the extent to which councillors search for performance information when faced with decision dilemmas. One such factor is within-polity rank; frontbenchers are more inclined than backbenchers to search for performance information. A second factor is education; the best educated councillors are least inclined to search for performance information. A third factor is political experience; inexperienced councillors are most inclined to search for performance information. Theoretical and practical implications of these and other findings are discussed.