Where next? Research directions on performance in public organizations

The dependent variable in all the articles presented in this symposium issue of JPART was organizational performance in public agencies. Management variables included organizational strategy, resources, leadership, goals, workforce diversity, and representation. The empirical articles also controlled for external effects on performance. Although the collection of articles presented here is a major step forward for research on public organizations, the evidence that management matters needs additional exploration, and the methods used by scholars need to be improved.