The Application of Businesslike Planning and Control in Local Government: A Field Study of Eight Dutch Municipalities

New Public Management's Current Issues and Future Prospects

“…Virtually all Dutch nonprofit and governmental sectors have experienced large and small attempts to reform P&C systems. Central and local government entities are expected to plan, execute and report their strategic plans according to a common structure, that focuses on three ‘W‐questions’: what do we want to achieve, what actions do we need to perform, and what (moreover: how many) resources do we need (van der Burg et al, 1999; van Helden and ter Bogt, 2001; and Groot and Budding, 2004). Independent nonprofit organizations like educational institutions and hospitals are increasingly controlled on the outputs they produce (Groot, 1999; and Schaepkens, 2002).…”

Beleidsonderzoek benutten

“…Bij onderzoek naar gedrag van bestuurders en eventueel ambtenaren gaat het dus om een vertrekpunt vanuit potentiële of werkelijke gebruikers, bijvoorbeeld door te kijken naar hun informatiezoekgedrag en hun vaardigheden om om te gaan met prestatie-informatie. Ter Bogt (2001Bogt ( , 2003Bogt ( , 2004 Onderzoek naar benchmarking haalt de relevantie van het begrip 'gebruikswaarde' van onderzoek naar voren (zie ook Van de Vall, 1980). Veel geïnterviewden uit het onderzoek van Ter Bogt geven aan 'dat de gegevens in benchmark-studies lang niet altijd goed te interpreteren en werkelijk vergelijkbaar zijn' (Ter Bogt, 2005: 51).…”

New Public Management: Perspectives on Performance and the Use of Performance Information

“…Several studies have indicated that politicians and managers in Dutch local government use performance information only to a limited extent (van Helden and ter Bogt, 2001; ter Bogt, 2001 and 2003; Budding, 2004; and ter Bogt and van Helden, 2000 and 2001). Also in other countries, it is observed that quantitative performance information is not used with the intensity implied by the NPM model (for example, Christensen and Yoshimi, 2001; and Lapsley and Pallott, 2000).…”

“…Politicians expect managers to have a feeling for the political wishes and needs of the aldermen, a cooperative attitude, result orientedness, an ability to encourage departments to work quickly and flexibly, and an ability to anticipate new/external developments and to show initiative (ter Bogt, 2001, p. 636 and 2003, p. 326; and Budding, 2004). In van Helden and ter Bogt (2001, p. 83) it is argued that the following factors impede the use of new planning and control instruments: underdeveloped planning attitudes on the part of politicians and managers, insufficient sensibility on the part of the financial staff to the planning and control systems developed by line managers, and a lack of communication between the hierarchical levels in the organization.…”