Improving Local Government Performance through Benchmarking

“Ammons has delivered a remarkable analysis of performance improvement. Improving Local Government Performance Through Benchmarking identifies dozens of concerns that must be addressed if a measurement effort is to produce performance improvements, as promised to the community. His volume is a tour de force, an unrivaled resource that is the missing link between comparative performance measurement and service improvement. It is every local government’s best investment.” Marc Holzer, Distinguished Research Professor, Suffolk University, and founder of the National Center for Public Performance “This book is an evidence-based how-to guide to benchmarking. Its engaging writing is informative and replete with inspiring examples. Ammons distills academic research into actionable insights, blending pragmatism, experience, and wisdom.” Étienne Charbonneau, Canada Research Chair in Comparative Public Management, École nationale d’administration publique (Montreal, QC) “Professor David Ammons, who could be called Doctor Benchmarking for his esteemed career in the field, has peeled back another insightful layer in the search for improved government performance. By spotlighting best practice benchmarking (versus metrics benchmarking), he parallels the evolution of performance measurement into performance management and encourages us to use best practices to actually make improvements!” Michael Jacobson, Deputy Director of the King County (Washington) Office of Performance, Strategy, and Budget and National Academy of Public Administration Fellow “Dr. Ammons delivers an exceptional book arguing the value of benchmarking for helping administrators and elected officials improve their public services. The book will appeal to public management students while the lessons and examples will also aid managers looking for steps they can take to integrate these practices into their normal operations.” David Swindell, Director of the Center for Urban Innovation in the School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University, and Director of Valley Benchmark Communities