Public Value Measurement

Public value measurement assesses the worth that government action creates for citizens and society, going beyond financial efficiency or narrow output counts to capture outcomes, equity, trust and the quality of public life. It is grounded in Mark Moore's 1995 framework Creating Public Value, which argues that public managers should pursue value much as private managers pursue shareholder value, but judged against a 'strategic triangle' of substantive value, political legitimacy and support, and operational capacity. Measuring public value therefore means evidencing all three corners — what was achieved, whether it commands authorising support, and whether the organisation can deliver it — rather than any single bottom line.