Performance measurement in local government: A systematic review towards efficient public sector management

This research systematically reviews the literature on local government performance measurement. It identifies current trends in research and highlights areas with promise for future studies. We have narrowed down 77 sample articles on local government performance measurement from 1271 Scopus-indexed papers with a minimum quality of quartile 4. From the publication trend, we can see that urban governance performance measurement has caught researchers' attention in recent years. Some of the key findings include differences between measurement methods, areas or objects of study, and research themes. Themes identified in the research comprise local government implementation, measurement concepts and their indicators development, sustainability/SDGs, adoption in HR and administrative sectors, adoption in smart government/e-government, adoption in economic and financial sectors, adoption in the socio-cultural sector, and integration with other methods. This study provides important perspectives on the development, exposures, and critical drivers needed in the current scenario of local government performance measurement. Practical implications of this work contribute to creating a more location-sensitive, adequate, and effective performance measurement system for local policymakers and administrators. This article also outlines future research directions, including building integrated approaches, processes, and technologies; adapting the BSC; assessing the effectiveness of the methods; designing performance models at the regional level; and SDG implementation in local government. This review not only reports on the latest developments in performance measurement in public sector performance management but also helps prepare for future explorative and developmental efforts in public performance.