Practice question · Multiple choice
Managing to an indicator reallocates effort towards the measured part of the goal. Why is that a property of measurement rather than a fixable design error?
Hints
- Ask whether a better indicator would capture the whole objective.
- If the objective is multiple and contested, no single measure can represent it.
Show the answer
C. Public objectives are multiple and contested, so any indicator captures only part of them
Why
Because the objective itself is multiple and contested. A hospital pursues speed, safety, dignity and cost at once; any indicator captures a subset, and managing to it moves effort towards that subset. A better indicator changes which part is favoured rather than removing the effect.
Practise New Public Management and Governance
The app has 5 more questions on this lesson, and keeps your place in the course. Political Science I is free to start.
More questions on New Public Management and Governance
- Which are defensible achievements of new public management?
- Sort each description by whether it belongs to NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT or to GOVERNANCE.
- Complete the account of the reform record.
- How many recurring failures of new public management does this lesson identify?
- The shift from direct state provision to network governance alters how the centre steers policy. Why does…
- Arrange these stages of the reform record in order.
- Arrange these phases of administrative reform in order.