Tapas K. Sen

Performance Measurement in Social Sectors

Large public sectors in countries like India need to be efficient; one of the tools to achieve this end is performance measurement. Performance indicators have been in use in the private corporate sector for a long time, and the idea of its adoption in the public sector is also not new. By now, there are several instances of practical application in the public sector, with varying degrees of success. This paper, after briefly discussing the rationale and practical issues relating to use of performance indicators in general and for social sector interventions in particular, illustrates its possible use by the state governments in India with the case of two departments of the Government of Chhattisgarh—health and school education. It discusses the administrative setup of the selected departments and desirable revamp of the setup along with the budgetary system, and discusses the preconditions of useful application of performance indicators. The paper then lists out some output and outcome indicators that can be used to begin with in the two departments of the state government. Possibilities for future refinements with better availability of data than now available are also indicated.

Public Finances and Development: The Case of Punjab

Punjab presents an odd combination of a relatively high-income state with a state level public finance that has been under stress for a long time. This paper looks at the trends in broad fiscal aggregates and a limited amount of disaggregated information to establish the pattern and locate the causes of the persistent stress. It examines fiscal balances, both the receipts and the expenditures side, the link between fiscal balances and indebtedness on the one hand, and between the stock of debt and revenue expenditures through the interest liabilities on the other. To establish a context, it also assesses the fiscal performance of Punjab in relation to other major states of India. It concludes with policy imperatives that have implications for not only the fiscal balances of the state, but also for the development of the real economy of Punjab that has begun to show signs of a slowdown.

Book Review: Parthasarathi Shome (ed.) Indian Tax Administration: A Dialogue

Parthasarathi Shome (ed.), Indian Tax Administration: A Dialogue. ₹ 1025, Orient Blackswan, Chennai.