WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE COUNCIL?
The Council is the only one of its kind in the country, offering state and local policymakers an integrated suite of performance measurement solutions designed to address the following questions:

        How are cities and states performing across core policy areas?
        Which cities and states are the top-performers in these areas?
        What strategies and practices are the top-performing cities and states following?

The Council was launched after two years of research and communication with state and local officials. Its Director, Rod McCracken, is a leading performance measurement expert and managing editor of the nation’s definitive city and state rankings publication America's Best Cities & States.

WHY CREATE THE COUNCIL?
The Council was created to help state and local governments respond to growing pressure for increased efficiency and effectiveness. This pressure is the result of a number of converging influences. Now more than ever before, citizens and businesses are demanding higher levels of service delivery. Moreover, budgets continue to tighten, forcing officials to do more with less. And competition among cities and states has become far more intense than in previous years. But perhaps the most significant influence is the new laws and regulations requiring governments to systematically monitor their performance.

At present, no organization offers local and state officials a full suite of products and services applicable to all aspects of performance measurement. To help policymakers respond to growing pressures for increased efficiency and effectiveness and to fill a gap in the marketplace, NPRC created the Council.

HOW DOES THE COUNCIL ACCOMPLISH ITS MISSION?
The Council strives to achieve its mission through three Work Groups. Their combined efforts provide local and state policymakers with an integrated suite of performance measurement solutions.

The Data and Methods Work Group compiles performance data from scores of public and private sources, offering subscribers the largest state and local database of its kind in the country. Users enjoy anytime-anywhere access to thousands of performance indicators. The database can be used to generate customized performance reports, monitor and evaluate progress, and analyze competitor jurisdictions.

The Assessment Work Group identifies best-in-class communities across 11 core policy areas, from education and economic development to public safety and the environment.

Building on the efforts of the assessment team, the Best Practices Work Group analyzes strategies and programs of top-performing cities and states and publishes its findings in NPRC's hallmark style.

The Council's work also takes the form of web-based tools and software applications.