William I. Jenkins

Making indicators perform

Getting to grips with the technical difficulties of performance measurement should not blind us to the fact that political factors can be as important as technical ones in the management of organisations, particularly in the public sector. Government Departments carry out different tasks and work within different traditions. The combination of political and contingent factors should lead us to expect that performance measurement in government will be diverse in its operation.

Social science and government : policies and problems

Burns and Saul Social Theory and Economic Change (1967) Hb: 0-415-26495-2 Cherns et al Social Science and Government: Policies and Problems (1972) Hb: 0-415-26496-0 Collins The Use of Models in the Social Sciences (1976) Hb: 0-415-26497-9 de Kadt and Williams Sociology and Development (1974) Hb: 0-415-26498-7 Friend et al Public Planning (1974) Hb: 0-415-26499-5 Jones Immigration and Social Policy in Britain (1977) Hb: 0-415-26500-2 Parkin The Social Analysis of Class Structure (1974) Hb: 0-415-26501-0 Shanin The Rules of the Game (1972) Hb: 0-415-26502-9 Vickersa Value Systems and Social Process (1968) Hb: 0-415-26503-7 Willener Action Image of Society on Cultural Politicization (1970) Hb: 0-415-26504-5

Action Research and the Development of the Social Sciences

Action research is more than an addition to the armory of social science techniques of inquiry, more than a method for relating the insights derived from social science theory to practical issues. It challenges the position of the social scientist as privileged observer, analyst, and critic (P. A. Clark, 1972). It is an emergent phenomenon whose characteristics illuminate the dynamic relationship between the social sciences and society. In this chapter we set out to describe this relationship and to present a model to cover the development of knowledge-based activities.