it is a normative problem that cannot be resolved through scientific inquiry
by a community of specialists. Some kind of mechanism for legitimating
choices of indicators is required. The social reporting movement, consisting
primarily of academics and professionals within national statistical services,
does not appear to have developed any effective method of securing popular
consent for the choice of indicators. The benchmarking movement, by contrast,
has developed such mechanisms. In fact, subnational governments have
Issues Associated with the Implementation of Performance Monitoring 11
developed two distinct approaches for the selection of social indicators. The
approach taken by U.S. state governments relies on a quasi-independent
commission, which undertakes wide public and legislative consultations. The
approach taken by Canadian provincial governments relies on the authority
of an elected executive, with limited informal consultation. In this section,
some strengths and weaknesses of the two approaches will be noted. In both
approaches, however, the selection of indicators is recognized as a political
rather than strictly technical decision.
In Oregon and Florida, the task of identifying social indicators and performance
targets for those indicators has been delegated to a board that is
intended to operate independently of both the executive and legislative
branches of government. The Oregon Progress Board consists of nine individuals
appointed by the governor. The original legislation apparently
required ratification of those appointments by the senate (Rarick 1989), but
the current legislation does not. The law requires that appointments be “representative
of the ethnic, cultural, social and economic diversity of the people
of this state”(Oregon Laws, Section 285A.). In practice, governors appear
to have made an effort to enlist leading citizens representing business, labor,
and other nongovernmental organizations. An effort has also been made to
maintain an appearance of bipartisanship; for example, former Governor
Barbara Roberts appointed to the Board the Republican whom she had
defeated in the 1990 gubernatorial race (Peirce 1994). Florida’s GAP Commission
is similarly organized. State law requires that the commission include
15 members appointed by the governor and approved by the senate. Nine
appointees must be selected from the private sector, and six from the public
sector. A modest attempt at bipartisanship was also made in Florida: its
Democratic governor appointed two Republicans to the commission (Barrett
and Greene 1998).
To a large extent, the decision to establish an independent commission
represents an attempt to deal with the challenges posed by a system of government
characterized by a clear separation of powers between the executive
and legislative branches. Reformers have said for many years that effective
long-range budgeting is nearly impossible in such a system,because of the relative
weakness of the executive and the independence of a large number of legislators.
Conventional reform proposals have centered on strengthening the
executive’s powers over the budget process,5 but these have been rejected by
legislators as an obvious erosion of their influence over spending. The reluctance
of legislators to give up influence to the executive is particularly strong
when, as in Florida until 1998, opposing political parties control each branch.