--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/new-measures-of-public-service-productivity-lessons-and-results-from-the-united-kingdom/" title: "New Measures of Public Service Productivity: Lessons and Results from the United Kingdom" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-13T08:15:29+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-17T10:07:59+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Spring 2025" ipm_keyword: - "2025 review" - "Atkinson Review" - "Baumol's cost disease" - "GDP" - "Heys" - "ONS" - "public sector productivity" - "quality adjustment" - "SNA 2025" - "UK" ipm_research_theme: - "Sectoral and firm-level dynamics" ipm_country_focus: - "International" - "OECD" - "United Kingdom" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # New Measures of Public Service Productivity: Lessons and Results from the United Kingdom Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/new-measures-of-public-service-productivity-lessons-and-results-from-the-united-kingdom/ # New Measures of Public Service Productivity: Lessons and Results from the United Kingdom [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-48-5-Heys.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: Heys, Richard. 2025. “New Measures of Public Service Productivity: Lessons and Results from the United Kingdom.” International Productivity Monitor, No. 48 (Spring 2025): 90–114. https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/new-measures-of-public-service-productivity-lessons-and-results-from-the-united-kingdom/ ## Author: - Richard Heys Office for National Statistics (ONS) ## IPM Issue 48 Spring 2025 pp. 90–114 ## Related IPM articles [Is the SNA Still Useful? 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Catherine Mann Fall 2024 | IPM Issue 47 | pp. 3–19](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-47/could-domestic-industrial-policies-even-with-global-fragmentation-revive-productivity/) [Productivity and Industrial Policy by Design: The UK Experience Diane Coyle, Ayantola Alayande Fall 2024 | IPM Issue 47 | pp. 20–38](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-47/productivity-and-industrial-policy-by-design-the-uk-experience/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn Since the early 2000s, governments, including that of the United Kingdom, have increasingly focused on measuring and improving public sector productivity. In response, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been tasked with developing and refining statistical methods to reflect ongoing reforms in public service delivery. In 2025, a new review concluded, which addressed the evolving landscape of public services, with particular reference to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Building on the Atkinson principles, the review introduced innovative methodologies which will be of international interest. These methods provide stronger evidence that public services can achieve both productivity gains and losses, depending on capital investment and funding stability. Applying the latest methods developed under the review suggests that UK GDP growth could have been 0.1 percentage points higher annually since 1997, driven by higher public sector output growth of around 0.5 percentage points per annum. This challenges the long-standing assumption, rooted in Baumol’s Cost Disease theory, that public services are inherently non-progressive. The Review’s findings are particularly timely given the 2025 revision of the System of National Accounts (SNA), which allows for quality adjustments in measuring public service output. This article highlights the importance of adopting these improved methodologies internationally, as part of the upcoming SNA implementation cycle, to better capture the true value and performance of public services. Depuis le début des années 2000, les gouvernements, notamment celui du Royaume-Uni, se sont de plus en plus concentrés sur la mesure et l’amélioration de la productivité du secteur public. En réponse, l’Office for National Statistics (ONS) a été chargé d’élaborer et de perfectionner des méthodes statistiques pour refléter les réformes en cours dans la prestation des services publics. En 2025, un nouvel examen a conclu, qui a abordé le paysage évolutif des services publics, en particulier l’impact de la pandémie de COVID-19. S’appuyant sur les principes d’Atkinson, l’examen a introduit des méthodologies innovantes qui présentent un intérêt international et fournissent des données probantes plus solides sur les gains et pertes de productivité des services publics. 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