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Article: Quality in an age of measurement. (Law).(performance indicators in courts and universities)
- Article from:
- Quadrant
- Article date:
- March 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Quadrant Magazine Company, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE BALANCE between quantitative and qualitative assessment of the performance of governmental functions affects many areas of public activity. Should museums be judged by attendances? Should university researchers be judged by numbers of publications ? Should educational institutions be judged by the earnings of their graduates? Should the ABC or SBS be judged by television ratings? Should courts be judged by the time it takes to dispose of proceedings?
The answer to each of these questions is "Yes, in part". Matters that are capable of measurement are relevant to a process of assessment both for internal purposes and in terms of public accountability. The issue ...