Performance measurement in Spanish local governments. A cross-case comparison study

Abstract

This paper explores local government in Spain: the nature of and extent to which performance measures are developed and how they are used in some of the biggest Spanish local governments. The features of performance measurement in Spain raise the question of why non-mandatory performance indicators are introduced and why specific initiatives are undertaken. A cross-theory strategy allows us to build a wider explanation of the cases studied. This study shows that performance measurement systems are not neutral but conditioned by the environmental context of each local government to fit into its organizational structure. Spanish local governments are experimenting with different approaches - centralized/decentralized, top-down/bottom-up, internal/external use - to implement performance measures. A relationship between external use and the top-down approach, and internal use and the bottom-up approach can be found. Our results also show that the institutional image value of taking decisions under rational decision-making models is the primary driver of implementation processes. © 2011 The Authors. Public Administration © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.