| Unlike past reform efforts of this magnitude, Congress has a unique role to play in implementing the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA or Results Act). In light of this role, this study attempts to evaluate the law's prospectus for implementation based on the known behavior of Congress as an institutional and political body. This study contends that Congress's level of attention to GPRA and willingness to incorporate performance measurement information generated by it into its discourse is a key factor for determining how the law will work out in the upcoming years. This study further suggests that despite several significant obstacles within the legislative body, changes are already in progress on Capital Hill that appear to suggest GPRA has the potential to contribute to policy debates in Congress. Annual performance plans, one of the requirements of GPRA, are analyzed for fiscal years 1999 and 2000. This analysis illustrates the Department of Housing and Urban Development's implementation and execution of the law's requirements. Face-to-face and telephone interviews were conducted with numerous government officials, professional staff, industry leaders, and think tank experts. |
