Government Performance Assessment

This course provides an understanding of the principles and practices involved in evaluating public sector institutions, equipping students with knowledge and tools critical to organizational performance and accountability efforts. The class will examine the critical planning and design stages of an evaluation, exploring the trade-offs encountered in the work to determine the researchable questions, scope, and methodologies that ensure the best use of resources. Discussion will include the assessment of the sufficiency evidence against explicit criteria, as well as the importance of independence, objectivity, and the ethical considerations of conducting this work from inside and outside of an organization. Students will engage in classroom discussion, prepare assessments relevant to real world policy issues, and present on the benefits and limitations of their planning.This course provides an understanding of the principles and practices involved in evaluating specific institutional efforts, intended to equip students with knowledge and tools that are critical to successful organizational performance and accountability efforts. Over nine weeks, this interactive course examines the critical planning and design stages of a performance audit. Specifically, it explores the trade-offs encountered in the work to determine the researchable questions, scope, and methodologies that ensure the best use of resources. Discussion will include topics such as the assessment of the sufficiency evidence against explicit criteria and the importance of independence, objectivity, and the ethical considerations of conducting this work from inside and outside of an organization. Students will collaborate to present on assigned readings, engage in discussion of the benefits and limitations of potential approaches that they are considering, and oversee the development of a performance audit—focused on an issue of their choice—from its design through the drafting of findings and recommendations.