--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-5/guide-to-the-measurement-of-government-productivity/" title: "Guide to the Measurement of Government Productivity" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-13T05:42:48+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-13T06:41:25+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Fall 2002" ipm_keyword: - "Australia" - "data envelopment analysis" - "efficiency measurement" - "government productivity" - "index numbers" - "public sector" - "stochastic frontier analysis" - "TFP" ipm_research_theme: - "Measurement and methodology" - "Sectoral and firm-level dynamics" ipm_country_focus: - "Australia" - "International" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # Guide to the Measurement of Government Productivity Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-5/guide-to-the-measurement-of-government-productivity/ # Guide to the Measurement of Government Productivity [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-5-5-Hughes.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: Hughes, Andrew. 2002. “Guide to the Measurement of Government Productivity.” International Productivity Monitor, No. 5 (Fall 2002): 64–77. https://www.csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-5/guide-to-the-measurement-of-government-productivity/ ## Author: - Andrew Hughes New South Wales Treasury, Australia ## IPM Issue 5 Fall 2002 pp. 64–77 ## Related IPM articles [Efficiency Adjustment of Hours Worked: Two Possible Modifications of a Jorgensen Production Model Barbara Fraumeni Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 103–115](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/efficiency-adjustment-of-hours-worked-two-possible-modifications-of-a-jorgensen-production-model/) [Labour Productivity as a Measure of Technological Change Ulrich Kohli Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 64–81](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/labour-productivity-as-a-measure-of-technological-change/) [The Relationship between Efficiencies Defenses for Mergers and TFP Growth Robin Shaban Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 82–102](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/the-relationship-between-efficiencies-defenses-for-mergers-and-tfp-growth/) [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/) [IPM Issue 49 Editors’ Overview Andrew Sharpe, Bart van Ark, Paul Schreyer Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 1–2](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/) [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/) [Opportunities and Risks of Artificial Intelligence for Productivity Francesco Filippucci, Peter Gal, Katharina Laengle, Matthias Schief, Filiz Unsal Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 1–26](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/opportunities-and-risks-of-artificial-intelligence-for-productivity/) [Cracking the Productivity Code: An International Comparison of UK Productivity John Van Reenen, Xuyi Yang Spring 2024 | IPM Issue 46 | pp. 60–82](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-46/cracking-the-productivity-code-an-international-comparison-of-uk-productivity/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn This article provides a non-technical guide to measuring productivity and efficiency in general government agencies, aimed at policy analysts and public sector managers. It introduces the major quantitative methods — including partial factor productivity and total factor productivity index numbers, data envelopment analysis (DEA), and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) — and sets out the basic steps for their use in both time-series and cross-sectional performance measurement. The article emphasizes the challenge of defining robust output and input measures for non-marketed public services and argues that economic performance measures can serve as surrogate market incentives to spur public sector efficiency improvement. Cet article fournit un guide non technique sur la mesure de la productivité et de l’efficience dans les organismes gouvernementaux, destiné aux analystes de politiques et aux gestionnaires du secteur public. Il présente les principales méthodes quantitatives — notamment les indices de productivité partielle et multifactorielle, l’analyse par enveloppement des données (AED) et l’analyse stochastique des frontières — et expose les étapes fondamentales de leur utilisation pour la mesure de la performance en séries chronologiques et en coupe transversale. L’article met en évidence le défi que représente la définition de mesures robustes d’extrants et d’intrants pour les services publics non marchands, et soutient que les mesures de performance économique peuvent servir de substituts aux incitations marchandes pour stimuler l’amélioration de l’efficience dans le secteur public. [Download full PDF](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-5-5-Hughes.pdf)