Assessing Agency-Level Performance Evaluation Reform in China: Can It Truly Serve as a Management Innovation?

Abstract

As in many other countries, performance management has received wide attention in China in order to increase government efficiency and accountability. However, agency-level performance management reforms have been largely overlooked in the existing literature, with regard to the process of developing performance measures, stakeholder involvement, and the assessment of these measures. By investigating a provincial departmental case, this article reveals that the latest development of China's performance management reform has become increasingly sophisticated, with consideration for both political legitimacy and management efficiency. However, significant challenges remain before such efforts can be fully implemented as management innovations to truly improve government performance and accountability.