Accounting for Outcomes: Imperatives and Challenges

Prof. Colin Talbot

Outcomes = Creating Public Value

That’s what public services and programs exist for

Plethora of Private Sector Organizational Performance models …..

And plenty of Public ones too ….

Organisation orProgramme

Inputs Process

Simple Public Sector Performance Model

Outputs Outcomes

Also known as Logic Models : many variants on this basic model

Organisation orProgramme

Inputs Process

Simple Public Sector Performance Model

Outputs Outcomes

Efficiency

Evaluation

EffectivenessEconomy

Some Issues with Measuring Outcomes

• Defining Which Outcomes Matter?

• Quantity

• Quality

• Time

• Attribution

• Non-linear

• Unexpected outcomes

• Cost

Sometimes Outcomes are:

• Too intangible or hard to define precisely

• Too long-term

• Too costly

• Too ‘hard’ measure in any way that would be useful for political, policy or managerial use

• So don’t (there are other ways).

CultivateSelectPropagateRepeat

CultivateSelectPropagateRepeat