Performance, accountability and links with benchlearning' : analytical paper

Effective performance management is key to improving the practices and outcomes of European PES. This paper aims to extend existing research undertaken through the PES to PES Dialogue and PES Mutual Learning programmes in three dimensions. First, it presents findings on recent reforms and lessons regarding performance management (PM) based on the PES Benchlearning initiative. Second, it discusses accountability within PM systems and highlights some of the relevant reforms in PES across Europe. Third, it describes PM systems of PES that have not been covered in detail by the earlier studies. The findings of this report are based on desktop research (covering the theoretical background as well as current PM practices), information collected in the PES Network Benchlearning process, combined with written consultation and in some cases, interviews with PES experts in the case study countries. The PES to PES Dialogue programme has already produced a number of documents on performance management in PES in order to support the development of PES practices in this area. The first analytical paper on the topic reviewed the research evidence on performance management in the European Union (EU) PES and discussed practical implications for policy makers and PES managers (European Commission [EC], 2012). The second analytical paper focused on Management by Objectives (MbO) techniques and provided a detailed portrayal of such methods in three highly developed PES (EC, 2016a). The comparative papers and thematic reviews summarise current PES practices and highlight good practices based on surveys and network events (EC, 2013a, c, d). Two recent toolkits provide step-by-step guidance for PES on how to develop and maintain effective strategic performance management. The EC (2013b) covers four main elements of performance management from developing objectives to placing incentive systems in operation. The most recent toolkit provides guidance and tools for PES to refine or establish key components of performance management systems (EC, 2016b). The report is structured as follows. The next section briefly reviews the recent literature with a specific focus on accountability, and describes findings from the analysis of data collected in the PES Benchlearning process. The second section outlines reflections on recent changes in PES practice based on five case studies. The last section includes case studies of France, Ireland, Lithuania, Portugal and Sweden. Annexes provide more information about the data collection process for the report.