Transparency Occasional Paper 5: Transparency and the performance of outsourced government services

Summary

This series of papers is designed to show how transparency can be used as a means to an end: effective policy implementation while minimising costs to the taxpayer. In the series there are papers that show the impact of transparency in improving public sector performance, productivity, implementation, integrity, and innovation. 

This paper establishes the current state of evidence concerning transparency and the performance of outsourced government services. The paper discusses three aspects of outsourcing: value-for-money efficiency, effectiveness of performance, and publicity of performance information. It explores a number of lessons for both government and public sector managers on how to increase the extent of transparency and thus the quality of performance of outsourced services.

These Occasional Papers are jointly published by ANZSOG and the Office of the Information Commissioner Queensland.