Projects per year
Abstract / Description of output
Measurement and targets have been widely criticised as distorting policy and engendering gaming - yet they continue to be widely used in government. This book offers an original new account explaining the persistent appeal of performance measurement. It argues that targets have been adopted to address a crisis of trust in politics, through creating more robust mechanisms of accountability and monitoring. The book shows that such tools rarely have their intended effect. Through an in-depth analysis of UK targets on immigration and asylum since 2000, it shows that far from shoring up trust, targets have engendered cynicism and distrust in government. Moreover, they have encouraged intrusive forms of monitoring and reform in public administration, with damaging consequences for trust between politicians and civil servants. Despite these problems, performance measurement has now become embedded in techniques of public management. It has also become normalised as a way of framing policy problems and responses. Thus despite their acknowledged problems, targets are likely to retain their allure as techniques of political communication and governance.
Original language | English |
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Place of Publication | Cambridge |
Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
Number of pages | 226 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781108373081, 9781108367554 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781108421201 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2018 |
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Manufacturing Political Trust: Targets and Performance Measurement in Public Policy'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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The Politics of Monitoring: Information, Indicators and Targets in Climate Change, Defence and Immigration Policy.
1/04/13 → 30/06/16
Project: Research
Research output
- 1 Chapter (peer-reviewed)
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Performance measurement and the production of trust
Boswell, C., 1 Mar 2018, Manufacturing Political Trust: Targets and Performance Indicators in Public Policy. Cambridge University Press, p. 5-29Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
Open AccessFile
Profiles
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Christina Boswell
- University Secretary - Vice-Principal Research and Enterprise
Person: Academic: Research Active