--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-13/how-to-measure-government-productivity-a-review-article-on-measurement-of-government-output-and-productivity-for-the-national-accounts-the-atkinson-report/" title: "How to Measure Government Productivity: A Review Article on ‘Measurement of Government Output and Productivity for the National Accounts’ (The Atkinson Report)" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-13T06:53:55+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-13T06:53:55+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Fall 2006" ipm_keyword: - "Atkinson Report" - "education" - "government productivity" - "health" - "national accounts" - "output measurement" - "public sector" - "Statistics Canada" - "UK" - "zero productivity growth" ipm_research_theme: - "Sectoral and firm-level dynamics" ipm_country_focus: - "Canada" - "International" - "United Kingdom" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # How to Measure Government Productivity: A Review Article on ‘Measurement of Government Output and Productivity for the National Accounts’ (The Atkinson Report) Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-13/how-to-measure-government-productivity-a-review-article-on-measurement-of-government-output-and-productivity-for-the-national-accounts-the-atkinson-report/ # How to Measure Government Productivity: A Review Article on ‘Measurement of Government Output and Productivity for the National Accounts’ (The Atkinson Report) [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-13-5-ab-Iorwerth.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: Iorwerth, Aled ab. 2006. “How to Measure Government Productivity: A Review Article on ‘Measurement of Government Output and Productivity for the National Accounts’ (The Atkinson Report).” International Productivity Monitor, No. 13 (Fall 2006): 57–74. https://www.csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-13/how-to-measure-government-productivity-a-review-article-on-measurement-of-government-output-and-productivity-for-the-national-accounts-the-atkinson-report/ ## Author: - Aled ab Iorwerth Economic Studies and Policy Analysis Division, Department of Finance Canada ## IPM Issue 13 Fall 2006 pp. 57–74 ## Related IPM articles [The Challenges of Productivity Measurement — Review Article on The Measure of Economies: Measuring Productivity in an Age of Technological Change Chad Syverson Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 139–143](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/the-challenges-of-productivity-measurement-review-article-on-the-measure-of-economies-measuring-productivity-in-an-age-of-technological-change/) [ONS Response to ‘Are UK Regional Productivity Disparities Really Narrowing?’ Richard Prothero Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 85–89](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/ons-response-to-are-uk-regional-productivity-disparities-really-narrowing/) [New Measures of Public Service Productivity: Lessons and Results from the United Kingdom Richard Heys Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 90–114](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/new-measures-of-public-service-productivity-lessons-and-results-from-the-united-kingdom/) [De-industrialization and the Great Productivity Slowdown: What Comes Next? 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An Investigation into Recent Productivity Data Revisions Fokke Reitze Gouma, Philip McCann, Raquel Ortega-Argilés Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 63–84](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/are-uk-regional-productivity-disparities-really-narrowing-an-investigation-into-recent-productivity-data-revisions/) [Online Supplementary Material: UK Regional Productivity Data Fokke Reitze Gouma, Philip McCann, Raquel Ortega-Argilés Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 15–19](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/online-supplementary-material-uk-regional-productivity-data/) [The UK Productivity Slowdown: A Review of Timing, Magnitude, and Drivers Josh Martin Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 1–34](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/the-uk-productivity-slowdown-a-review-of-timing-magnitude-and-drivers/) [Appendix: UK Productivity Growth Rates Across Data Vintages and Studies Josh Martin Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 65–73](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/appendix-uk-productivity-growth-rates-across-data-vintages-and-studies/) [IPM Issue 48 Editors’ Overview Andrew Sharpe, Bart van Ark, Paul Schreyer Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 1–2](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/) [Using Ecosystem Accounting to Integrate the Environment in Measures of Multifactor Productivity Carl Obst Fall 2024 | IPM Issue 47 | pp. 87–108](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-47/using-ecosystem-accounting-to-integrate-the-environment-in-measures-of-multifactor-productivity/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn The Atkinson Report examined measurement of public services’ output and productivity. Traditionally, only inputs to the government sector were reflected in the National Accounts. This treatment imposed zero productivity growth for the government sector. From the late 1990s, the United Kingdom — in accordance with the recommendations of international standards — had started to introduce direct measures of government output. Rather than count the number of teachers, a measure of the education sector’s output would include pupil attendance in schools, for example. Introducing these measures of government output had cast light on what the government sector produces and its productivity in doing so. Sir Tony Atkinson reviewed these methods and recommended improvements. The objectives of introducing direct measures of government output and the principles he advocated in undertaking this task are summarized in this review. As well as ensuring an important part of the economy is reflected in the National Accounts, introducing direct measures of government output into the National Accounts would allow policymakers to make more informed judgments and give greater information on the overall performance of government services. P ROFESSOR A NTHONY A TKINSON WAS asked Le rapport Atkinson a examiné la mesure de la production et de la productivité des services publics. Traditionnellement, seuls les intrants du secteur gouvernemental étaient pris en compte dans les comptes nationaux, ce qui imposait une croissance nulle de la productivité pour le secteur gouvernemental. Depuis la fin des années 1990, le Royaume-Uni — conformément aux recommandations des normes internationales — avait commencé à introduire des mesures directes de la production gouvernementale. Plutôt que de compter le nombre d’enseignants, une mesure de la production du secteur de l’éducation inclurait par exemple la fréquentation scolaire. L’introduction de ces mesures de production gouvernementale a mis en lumière ce que produit le secteur gouvernemental et sa productivité à cet égard. Sir Tony Atkinson a examiné ces méthodes et recommandé des améliorations. Les objectifs de l’introduction de mesures directes de la production gouvernementale et les principes qu’il a préconisés dans l’accomplissement de cette tâche sont résumés dans cette recension. [Download full PDF](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-13-5-ab-Iorwerth.pdf)