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This article reports the results of a 1987-1988 survey of 451 municipal managers regarding the use and perceived effectiveness of numerous management tools. Viewed in conjunction withfindings from two earlier surveys, the data presented in this article reflect the continuation of the boom in management and show that the public manager's tool kit has both expanded and stabilized over the past decade. Techniques such as program budgeting, management by objectives (MBO), performance monitoring, and program evaluation have indeed become staples of modern municipal management during this period, while several more recent tools such as financial trend monitoring, multiyear forecasting, strategic planning, and quality circles have experienced rapid diffusion in local government. The positive effectiveness ratings accorded to most of these tools seem to reflect a high level of enthusiasm and suggest that the further development and adaptation of new management systems will continue to be of major interest to municipal managers well into the future.
Poister et al. (Mon,) studied this question.