Municipal Benchmarking: Organisational Learning and Network Performance in the Public Sector

The use of performance information for real performance improvement is not as obvious as the ease with which the idea is embraced. What makes this noble endeavor so difficult? This dissertation assesses the relation between municipal benchmarking and organisational learning by looking at the role of the context in which the process and content of performance improvement are embedded. Municipal Benchmarking offers an original analysis of the way performance improvement operates in the context of the public sector. Municipal Benchmarking gives an excellent overview of the theory and practice of benchmarking and has important implications for both policy makers and practitioners for the design and use of benchmarking in the public sector. From this study practitioners and public organisations at large can learn how to use and incorporate benchmarking results and hence gain greater depth and value of the benchmark. The research aims to deepen international and national academic debate on the use of performance information and its effect on real performance improvement. Municipal benchmarking is seen as a strategic asset for enhanced organisational learning and network performance in the public sector.