Government Performance Reforms and Nonprofit Human Services: 20 Years in Oregon

Abstract

Performance measure reforms have greatly influenced the operations of government entities over the past two decades. This case study investigates the impact of these reforms on nonprofit human service organizations in Oregon, a state with a long history of performance activities. The authors pursue two research questions: (1) what impact did these reforms have on the performance and capacity of the nonprofit entities engaged in human services. and (2) what is the impact of the reported performance on the funding decisions made by the state legislature. The authors observe substantial improvement in the performance of the nonprofit organizations as well as increased capacity for their future performance. Somewhat surprisingly, the authors also observe that funding for programs with common performance measures received large increases in funding, whereas programs with unique measures were cut dramatically. The authors compare outcomes measurement from performance measurement, accounting, and evaluation perspectives and conclude with several suggestions for future research.