Perspectives on Improvement and Effectiveness: Key Definitions and Concepts

This paper reviews the academic literature on public service improvement to provide a working definition of the term and considers the main theoretical models of improvement.

In the second part of the paper, a sample of the empirical evidence on ‘what works’ in improving public services is presented to help judge which of many strategies is likely to lead to improvement in the delivery of public services.

Summary

While governments have shown a clear commitment to the delivery of better public services, there is little discussion of what governments actually mean by public service improvement. The term is an elusive concept, framed alongside other terms closely associated with improvement such as effectiveness, efficiency, excellence, performance, reform and so on. Academic literature on defining public service improvement is also limited yet there needs to be an explicit definition to establish a common understanding, along with robust empirical evidence on how public services can be improved.

Furthermore, individual public services have, to a greater or lesser degree, developed a shared language and understanding around the key definitions and concepts associated with improvement and effectiveness within their area of expertise; it remains a challenge to develop such shared perspective across the wider public services.

The purpose of this literature review is three fold.

First, it will provide a starting point for framing the What Works Scotland position relating to the key concepts associated with Improvement and Effectiveness across the public services. Second it provides an opportunity to stimulate a debate about the key definitions and concepts across the public services. And third, it will identify key areas for further investigation and review.

With this in mind the review is organised around two key questions:

How can we define public service improvement?
What works in improving public services?

Therefore the first part of this paper reviews the academic literature on public service improvement to provide a working definition of the term and considers the main theoretical models of improvement.