Prioritization of Performance Measures for MPOs: Understanding the Effects of Contextual Complexity and Collaborative Capacity from a National-Level Survey

For managing the performance of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) requires the development and prioritization of performance measures. This study hypothesizes that one-size-fits-all performance measures cannot presumably be imposed by the Federal Government to meet ISTEA requirements on a large variety of MPOs, which are operating in very different contextual conditions. The MPOs operating in small- and medium-sized communities could have vastly different mandates and public needs than the MPOs serving relatively larger populations. By drawing on data from a September 2009 General Accountability Office (GAO) survey of all 381 MPOs in the United States, with an 86% response rate, this study examines whether the contextual complexity and collaborative and technical capacity of an MPO influences the selection of which performance measures are prioritized and which are perceived to be effective. To explain the performance measure prioritization variability, this study presents the results from thirty binomial logistic regression models that test the effects of 25 variables constructed for contextual complexity, collaborative capacity, administrative structure, technical capacity and other capacity challenges on the perceived prioritization of performance measures. The study finds that the size of the community where MPO is located and the collaborative capacity of an MPO have a powerful and significant effect on the differential choice of performance measures. Instead of imposing uniform prioritization of performance measures on MPOs, the federal government agencies could develop more sophisticated performance management weighting schemes for MPOs serving communities of different sizes, contexts and capacities.