Performance Management System Reform : Results-Based Budgeting in the Government of Alberta (2012-2014)

Abstract

This thesis examines the concept of performance management in the context of program evaluation and the management of public administration systems. The thesis begins by outlining and examining the common theoretical underpinnings of performance management. Once the theory is developed, the thesis reviews and identifies the key findings of the empirical literature that attempts to identify and explain the variables that impact the implementation of performance management systems. Following this the contemporary case of Results-Based Budgeting (RBB) in the government of Alberta is examined and contrasted with the theory. The examination of RBB in Alberta reveals that the theoretical literature is useful for classifying performance management systems in practice, but that the possible outcomes of performance management reform extend beyond the typical purported benefits of efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability associated with the rational actor model of performance management. In Alberta, some of the outcomes of RBB include horizontal integration, strategic policy alignment, and cultural change. Alberta’s experience with RBB also supports the constructivist model of performance management, which suggests that these systems contribute to public sector organizations by structuring policy analysis and dialogue, enhancing strategic planning, and other benefits.