A tyranny of metrics vs. a tool for learning: exploring performance information use on the spectrum of formal to relational in outcomes-based contracts

The purposeful use of performance information is critical to improving public services and promoting public value in public–private partnerships (PPPs). This in-depth comparative case study draws on interviews, contractual documents, court records, and performance data to contrast contract performance provisions and use of performance information in two complex PPPs (in the US and UK) that deliver public services to vulnerable populations. Our theory-informed analysis investigates differences between the PPPs according to their formal and relational contract features. The case findings illustrate the tension between highly formalized, rigid contract designs and relational governance structures intended to cultivate trust-based performance information use.