Development Measuremnet in public sector: the terms of the debate

Performance measurement is one of the pillars of recent public sector reforms in many countries, and the basis for other innovations as agencification, results-based contracts, pay for performance, partnerships, governing by networks. Applying this managerial tool to the public sector has been discussed intensively, giving rise to many controversial issues about its adequacy to public organizations. This paper aims to present the debate on this subject among international researchers and its main arguments and issues, and its feature in the Brazilian context.