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Unlike other policy sectors such as education and health, public administration has no tradition of comparative performance indicators. From a scientific as well as a managerial point of view, this is a missed opportunity. This article first attempts to clarify certain conceptual issues and then proposes a number of potential indicators for human resources management, budgeting and open government – three dimensions of public governance. The aim of this summary article is to stimulate debate on indicators for measuring governance performance. It is hoped that this will help provide a more solid basis for future comparative studies of public administration.