Performance indicators of the Public Defender's Office: theoretical reflections and research agenda

Abstract

The Administration of Justice is a fruitful field of investigation and, at the same time, little explored. In this sense, it is relevant that the academic sphere stimulates the production of empirical research about the institutions of the Justice System from the perspective of public administration. Among the dimensions proposed in the literature, it appears that performance is an important factor that enables the analysis of these institutions. This essay aims to make initial reflections on the formulation of performance indicators for the Public Defender's Office. Thus, through the transposition of proposed variables into a theoretical-methodological model aimed at judicial courts, it is suggested the idealization of an initial proposal that allows the measurement of performance, considering the peculiarities of the performance of the Public Defender's Office. Finally, the essay signals a research agenda for future studies.