Understanding and improving performance in public sector

The background of the term 'performance' goes back to the petrolium crisis in the public sector. Today, the use of term has reached its peaks within the frame of the modernization of the public sector. Because of the public resources getting more and more limited and the higher expectations of the public about the level of service quality and quantity from the public administration have been the major reasons for that the term 'performance' has become more popular. However, there does not exist a common view about the 'performance' with regard to the evaluation of the public sector services. This article discusses the concept of 'performance' within the frame of public administration. It first discusses the dimensions of the concept so as to what it could be understood from it; then, the performance measurement and development in the underlying sector in detail. The study is an attempt to draw the borderlines of the performance measurement. It also points out the importance of performance evaluation in the decision making process in public institutions.