Back to Basics: A Comparative Analysis of Government Performance in Governing

While the positive aspects, but also pathologies, of performance measurement and management are today well known, we know less about the impact of NPM reform on governance. Using Bertelsmann SGI data (2009 and 2022) from 30 advanced democracies and a unique dataset measuring NPM reform in 14 countries, we study how core aspects of governing capacity have been impacted by, or triggered as responses to, public management reform. While the executive capacity of government has increased, NPM has not increased the accountability of executive government. Corruption prevention has increased between 2009 and 2022, while legal certainty has improved only marginally.