Public services: international comparison of responsiveness using anchoring vignettes

Lead Research Organisation: University of York
Department Name: Centre for Health Economics

Abstract

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Description International comparison continues to be a key instrument for initiating policy change. For comparisons to be credible the extent to which individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds differ in their reporting of objective levels of performance needs to be considered. Only after such differences have been accounted for can informative comparative analyses take place.
Exploitation Route The research informs comparison of public sector performance across countries, particularly where performance outcomes of interest rely on self-reported survey data such as user's ratings of healthcare received. Such measures are prone to systematic reporting behaviour such that a given level of care received is rated differently by different individuals. The research demonstrates how vignettes (descriptions of fixed levels of care) can be used to anchor an individual's reporting of the care they have received. This is crucial to understand better differences in performance, particularly across countries where preferences and norms may differ.
Sectors Healthcare
URL http://www.publicservices.ac.uk/index.php/
 
Description This research provides methodological and policy insights. From a methodological perspective, the work makes a distinct contribution to the literature on performance measurement where data are self-reported and prone to systematic reporting behaviour. We have advanced the methodology of anchoring vignettes as a valid survey-based instrument to adjust self-reported data and we have undertaken methodological investigations of the underlying assumption of the vignette approach. From a policy perspective, the results provide national and international organisations and policy makers with a deeper understanding of potential variations in performance of public services across countries. They offer policy analysts a means to adjust and anchor comparative analyses to place them on a more equal footing. In addition, the work will inform the design of surveys aimed at establishing the comparative performance of public services. We have disseminated the research to academic and policy audiences (World Health Organization, the Department of Health).
Sector Healthcare
Impact Types Policy & public services