Research On The Establishment Of American County Government Performance Assessment Measures Systems

public administration research. After years of theoretical study and practical exploration, American county government has made great progress in the research of it and accumulated a wealth of experience. Based on the three examples of performance assessment measures systems of Multnomah county, Winston-Salem county and Prince William county, this paper approaches the issues about establishment of American county government performance assessment measures systems, and puts forward the recommendations to the establishment of performance assessment measures systems of Chinese local government.The paper has four parts:The first part, the brief introduction of American county government performance assessment measures systems. American government contains federal,state and local governments. No hierarchy exists among them. Local government can be classified into three categories– county government,city government and special district. The county consists of cities,towns and rural areas, its main functions belong to the public service field. Considering related concepts, American county government performance measures systems can be defined as a measures group used by American county government to evaluate efficiency,effectiveness,results and service quality in administration and it developed in two periods- the efficiency period and the results period. The measures systems demonstrated descriptions in different stages.The second part, the analysis of three American county government performance assessment measures systems. There are many good models of measures systems. The accomplishments and experience they have offer a good basis for further study. The writer gives three examples in this part and hopes to reflect the features through introducing and analyzing the background,history,content and the measures'functions of their performance assessment: Multnomah county's performance assessment shows a feature of uniform, which is reflected in the good connection and organization among measures; Winston-Salem county's performance assessment emphasizes the role of people and their attitude toward government. Therefore, the government establishes various channels to make people participate in every aspect of measures system, such as founding people-involved organizations,reporting information and developing public researches and surveys; Prince William county focuses on the results in performance assessment, thus the majority of measures set up are used to assess results, which strongly reflects the direction of performance assessment measures system has great effect on the process of setting up measures.The third part , the principles,characteristics,functions and results of American county government performance assessment measures systems'establishment. Although there are differences among performance assessment contents,methods and styles, American county government performance assessment measures systems show some similarities. Firstly, they based on the following principles: Principle of people's participation. That is laying stress on people's participation and their strength. Principle of multiple assessment main parts, that is increasing the types of parts involved in assessment; Principle of proceeding from reality, that is the establishment of measures systems should base on the actual situation. Secondly, they have some characteristics in common, including: Information characteristic, namely, providing information for choosing,developing and adjusting the measures as much as possible; Institutionalization characteristic, that is giving legal protection to the establishment of system; Budget guidance characteristic, namely, the process of establishment linked with the budget closely. The government performance assessment measures system of Multnomah county, Winston-Salem county and Prince William county play an important role in government's responsibilities and public communications,strategic planning and project monitoring,resource allocation and decision-making. Because of the effective systems, the three counties achieve public satisfaction and performance improvement.The fourth part, the inspirations to the establishment of Chinese local government performance assessment measures systems. The theory and the practice of establishing performance assessment measures systems in Chinese local government are still at the fledgling stage. Various problems emerged during the establishing process. Through the introduction and analysis of the three examples, Chinese local governments should draw on the successful experience from them at the premise of considering the realities. Firstly, face the problem that the measures are not organic and systematic arranged, local government should study Multnomah county's ways to establish a unified system. Secondly, local government should practice Winston-Salem county's methods of strengthening public participation, try the best to ensure the people's position and right of participation. Finally, Prince William county carries out results-oriented performance assessment. The facts prove the value orientation of measures system has great significance. Chinese local government should establish an all-round, coordinated and sustainable development values orientation to ensure the government work has the correct and scientific direction.