PUBLICSERV: Quality assessment scale for public services

Abstract

The quality of public services is a recurrent theme; however, it lacks the structuring of valid measures. The objective of the study was to build and validate a quality assessment scale for public services (PUBLICSERV). A total of 55 items were developed on a 5-point Likert scale. The instrument validation involved two phases. In the qualitative phase, the validation by specialists and the pre-test were carried out. In the quantitative phase, a sample of 660 cases was used in the exploratory stage, and another sample of 1284 individuals, in the confirmatory validation. The result of the study is the construction and validation of a scale for assessing the quality of public services composed of 50 items distributed in seven dimensions (tangible aspects, reliability, relationship, public value, transparency, equality and legality, and satisfaction), which evaluates the quality of public services. A methodology for applying the scale was developed to facilitate its use by researchers, managers, and public policymakers, who may have feedback on the quality of the service provided, helping to identify gaps and prioritize needs, thus being able to develop strategies for improvements in public administration.