Exploring Performance Management in Italian Local Government: The Necessity of Outcome Measures and Citizen Participation

The purpose of this article is to identify what internal and external factors increase the probability of local officials actually using performance data for decision making within Italian local government, responding to one of the basic questions of performance management theory. Based on a sample of local governments from the Apulia region, we used an ordinary least squares regression model to show that local officials are more likely to engage in performance data use when they rely on input, output, and outcome measures and when they increase the level of citizen participation. While the reliance on more advanced performance measures clearly builds on previous research, our study represents one of the few studies that demonstrates a statistically significant relationship between performance management and citizen participation in local government. We conclude from our findings that we cannot forget about basic performance measurement and external stakeholder involvement as scholars continue to push the boundaries of performance management theory.