Public sector benchmarking: An application on Italian health district activities plans

Purpose - The paper seeks to suggest an application of the benchmarking technique on the content evaluation of the health district activity plans (HDAPs). Design/methodology/approach - A literature review on benchmarking leads to the definition of a benchmarking process, which is utilized to evaluate and compare the contents of the HDAPs. These documents link the planning activity of the health districts of a region to the objectives comprehensively established at higher levels. Consequently, to define a common level of comparison of the HDAPs, the contents of the texts are evaluated through an in-depth study of the specific law prescriptions and the adoption of an hermeneutic point of view. The HDAPs collected among the health districts of a single Italian Region represent the empirical data set and their specific benchmarking involves the definition of benchmark scales and placement of "best practices". Findings - Benchmarking can improve planning capabilities of the health districts pointing out their most positive differences. Its specific application on the HDAPs highlights its flexibility and usefulness; whilst at the same time, it opens new insights on the recent evolution of the health care systems towards accountability, cost consciousness and efficiency. Practical implications - The results of the benchmarking comparison will lead to the design of an empirical blueprint for framing health district planning data and improve the understanding of the region. Originality/value - The paper highlights the role of benchmarking both in providing a comprehensive lecture key of the reality of district planning and suggesting cues from the best practices observed.