Performance Measurement in the Public Sector: A Clarification and Agenda for Research

Despite the growing significance of performance measurement systems, theoretical evidence suggests that unique and complex characteristics in the public sector prevent performance measures being used for internal managerial purposes. A paucity of empirical studies suggests a need to shift the research agenda to interpretive methods to understand how the measures are used in a public-sector entity. A field study approach employing grounded theory is advocated to connect what is happening in practice with scholarly work.     

Explaining Australia's Imports: 1974–1989*

A model is estimated to explain Australia's demand for imports over the period from September 1974 to September 1989. Using cointegration techniques, it is found that growth in imports is well explained by movements in domestic activity, relative prices of imports and exports, and overtime. The models explain almost all of the rapid growth in imports over the period from September 1986 to September 1989. Over this period, the relative price of domestic goods to imports grew more strongly than domestic activity, and the contribution of relative prices to growth in imports is found to outweigh that of activity.     

The Case Against Asset Revaluations

The upward revaluation of non-current assets is a common feature of contemporary accounting in Australia. This paper presents a case against the practice. The effects of revaluations are examined and possible reasons why firms revalue are considered. It is argued that asset revaluation is theoretically unsound, being inconsistent with the accounting structure within which it occurs. It is concluded that there are significant costs but few obvious benefits associated with revaluation.     

SYSTEMATIC INFLUENCES ON TEACHING EVALUATIONS: THE CASE FOR CAUTION*

In this paper, we examine eight years of Quality of Teaching (QOT) responses from an Economics Department in an Australian University. This is done to determine what factors, besides the instructor, have an impact on the raw average student evaluation scores. Most of the previous research on student ratings has been conducted in the US. One significant difference between US and Australian tertiary education is that, on average, the number of foreign undergraduate students in Australia is ten times the number in US institutions. We find that cultural background significantly affects student evaluations. Other factors that have an influence on the average QOT score include: year level; enrolment size; the quantitative nature of the subject; the gender of the student; fee‐paying status by gender; course of study; the differences between the course mark and previous marks; the quality of workbooks; the quality of textbooks; and the QOT score relative to those in other subjects taught at the same time. In addition, average QOT scores for instructors who have taught in a mix of subjects are similar to those based on scores adjusted to account for subject and student characteristics.     

JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES MEETS MILTON FRIEDMAN AND EDMOND PHELPS: THE RANGE VERSUS THE NATURAL RATE IN AUSTRALIA, 1965:4 TO 2003:3

In this paper we compare the estimates of the range model in Lye and McDonald (2005a) with estimates of a natural rate model. We find that the range model is superior to the natural rate model according to econometric criteria and economic plausibility. Our estimates of the range model suggest that a significantly lower rate of unemployment is obtainable at the current time by aggregate demand policy, indeed a rate of 3.1 per cent for 2003:3 compared with about 6.5 per cent for the natural rate model. Thus we conclude that basing macroeconomic policy on the natural rate model would underrate the possibilities for economic welfare in Australia.