Effective performance management of local governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Purpose - Effective performance management of local governments is essential for efficient service delivery to the citizens. This is especially true for developing countries where performance management of public sector is severely lacking. The purpose of this paper is to discuss a pioneering and effective performance management framework that has been implemented in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach - The paper outlines the design and implementation of the system in light of relevant research work. Latest digital technologies including smartphone applications and social media have been used to make the system effective and responsive to the needs of the citizens and sustainable in the long term. Findings - The impact of the system includes a drastic reduction in polio infection cases by 90 percent in the province and the successful completion of one of the biggest afforestation campaigns in the world in recent years. In addition, noteworthy improvements in public health, education and municipal services have also been achieved through this system in a province that has a population of 30.5 m. Research limitations/implications - The paper uses field data to highlight the positive impact of the system which has been operational for more than two years now. Practical implications - The strong positive impact of the system supports the case for implementation of similar public sector reforms in other developing countries. Social implications - The implementation of the system has resulted in significant improvements in social sector service delivery. Originality/value - There is very limited literature available on successful performance management reforms in the public sector of the developing world. Therefore, this case study can be a very important resource.