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In recent decades, governments have come under increasing pressure to manage their budgets more tightly whilst citizens have demanded the delivery of more higher quality public services. In order to manage services more efficiently and effectively, governments have turned their attention to achieving desired outcomes such as lower crime or higher exam results rather than merely specifying inputs such as employing more police officers or teachers. This in turn aims to foster a more adaptive and innovative public service culture that allows failing procedures to be corrected quickly and fosters a process of continuous improvement. The trend began in the 1980's in Australia and New Zealand and has spread to the US, UK, Europe and other OECD countries.
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