Summary And Evaluation Of Recent Work In Measuring The Productivity Of Federal Agencies

The paper contains first a discussion of the nature and meaning of productivity index numbers. Productivity measures are viewed as ratios of output to input, in real terms. They largely reflect changes (or differences) in the technology and organization of production over time (or between similar producing units). The applicability of productivity measurement systems to Federal Government organizations is discussed. Results of the Bureau of Budget report 'Measuring Productivity of Federal Government Organizations' are summarized. While the report covers only 5 Federal, civilian organizations, the author concludes that productivity measurement could usefully be extended to most other civilian agencies, and to some functions of the Department of Defense, particularly in the supply and maintenance areas. (Author).