Back to the Future? Performance-Related Pay, Empirical Research, and the Perils of Persistence.

The article presents information on the use of pay-for-performance systems in the United States government. It is noted that such systems are not unique to the U.S. Several previous studies on the topic are cited and the results of a meta-analysis are presented, which indicate that these systems typically do not work well. The history of pay-for-performance systems in the U.S. is discussed, including the Merit Pay System which was part of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act, the Performance Management and Recognition System (PMRS), which lasted from 1984 to 1991, and 21st-century approaches used by the U.S. military and the Department of Homeland Security.