---
title: "National Performance Review (NPR) — AP Gov Definition"
description: "The NPR was Clinton's 1993 effort, led by VP Al Gore, to streamline the federal bureaucracy. A go-to AP Gov example of presidents trying to control agencies."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-gov/key-terms/national-performance-review-npr"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP US Government"
unit: "Unit 2"
---

# National Performance Review (NPR) — AP Gov Definition

## Definition

The National Performance Review (NPR) was a 1993 Clinton-administration initiative, led by Vice President Al Gore, that aimed to make the federal bureaucracy more efficient by cutting redundant programs, streamlining agencies, and pushing customer-service and results-based management.

## What It Is

The National Performance Review (NPR) was the Clinton administration's 1993 attempt to "reinvent government." [Vice President](/ap-gov/key-terms/vice-president "fv-autolink") Al Gore ran the project, and its core idea was simple. The federal bureaucracy should work less like a slow-moving rulebook and more like a business that serves customers. The NPR's *Reinventing Government* report pushed [agencies](/ap-gov/unit-2/bureaucracy/study-guide/Ry6mEWFp4DgDQfXDswZU "fv-autolink") to cut redundant programs, contract out work competitively, measure results instead of just following procedures, and give managers more flexibility.

For [AP Gov](/ap-gov "fv-autolink"), the NPR is your best modern example of the executive branch trying to reform the bureaucracy from the inside. The bureaucracy is made up of departments, agencies, commissions, and government corporations that implement policy by writing and enforcing regulations. The NPR didn't change *what* those agencies do; it changed *how* they were expected to do it, with efficiency, accountability, and measurable results as the new standard.

## Why It Matters

The NPR lives in **Topic 2.12 (The Bureaucracy)** in **[Unit 2](/ap-gov/unit-2 "fv-autolink"): Interactions Among Branches of Government**, supporting learning objective **2.12.A**, which asks you to explain how the bureaucracy carries out the responsibilities of the federal government. A common critique of the bureaucracy is that it's bloated, slow, and unaccountable. The NPR is the concrete, real-world answer to the question "so what do presidents actually do about that?" It shows the president acting as [chief executive](/ap-gov/key-terms/chief-executive "fv-autolink"), trying to manage and reshape the bureaucracy without waiting for Congress to pass sweeping legislation. That tension, between bureaucratic independence and presidential control, is exactly what the AP exam wants you to be able to argue about.

## Connections

### [Chief Executive (Unit 2)](/ap-gov/key-terms/chief-executive)

The NPR is the chief executive role in action. Clinton couldn't fire the bureaucracy or rewrite its laws alone, so he used managerial reform, run out of the vice president's office, to steer how agencies operated. It's a great example of [presidential influence](/ap-gov/unit-2/holding-bureaucracy-accountable/study-guide/rU5ql49rCLZfL2CeFr9O "fv-autolink") over the bureaucracy that doesn't require Congress.

### Civil Service and the merit system (Unit 2)

The [civil service](/ap-gov/key-terms/civil-service "fv-autolink") hires and promotes based on professionalism and specialization, which protects workers but can make agencies rigid. The NPR tried to layer flexibility and results-based metrics on top of that merit system. Knowing both lets you explain the trade-off between job protection and managerial accountability.

### [Bureaucratic agency (Unit 2)](/ap-gov/key-terms/bureaucratic-agency)

Agencies implement policy by writing regulations, issuing fines, and testifying before Congress. The NPR didn't take those powers away. It pressured agencies to perform those functions faster and cheaper, which is why it shows up in discussions of bureaucratic [accountability](/ap-gov/key-terms/accountability "fv-autolink").

### [Department of Homeland Security (Unit 2)](/ap-gov/key-terms/department-of-homeland-security)

The NPR (1993) and the creation of DHS (2002) are bookend examples of restructuring the bureaucracy. The NPR streamlined from within using executive-led management reform, while DHS was a massive congressional reorganization merging agencies after 9/11. Together they show two different paths to reshaping the executive branch.

## On the AP Exam

No released FRQ has used "National Performance Review" verbatim, and you won't be asked to recite the *Reinventing Government* report. Instead, the NPR works as supporting evidence. Multiple-choice questions on Topic 2.12 test whether you understand how the bureaucracy implements policy and how the other branches (and the president) hold it accountable. On a Concept Application or Argument Essay about bureaucratic accountability or presidential power, the NPR is a strong, specific example. You can argue that presidents check the bureaucracy not just through appointments and executive orders, but through management initiatives that demand efficiency and measurable results.

## National Performance Review (NPR) vs Civil Service Commission / merit system reforms

Both are bureaucratic reforms, but they fixed different problems a century apart. The Pendleton Act and the Civil Service Commission (1883) attacked the patronage problem, replacing political-loyalty hiring with merit-based hiring. The NPR (1993) attacked the efficiency problem, trying to make an already-professional bureaucracy leaner and more results-oriented. If the question is about WHO gets hired, think civil service reform. If it's about HOW agencies perform, think NPR.

## Key Takeaways

- The National Performance Review was a 1993 Clinton-administration initiative, led by Vice President Al Gore, to streamline the federal bureaucracy and make it more efficient.
- Its 'Reinventing Government' report pushed agencies toward customer-service principles, competitive contracting, and results-based management instead of pure rule-following.
- The NPR is a prime example of the president acting as chief executive to control and reform the bureaucracy without major new legislation from Congress.
- It supports AP Gov learning objective 2.12.A by showing how the bureaucracy carries out federal responsibilities and how it can be held accountable for results.
- Don't confuse it with 19th-century civil service reform; the Pendleton Act fixed patronage hiring, while the NPR targeted efficiency and management a century later.

## FAQs

### What was the National Performance Review in AP Gov?

It was a 1993 initiative by the Clinton administration, led by Vice President Al Gore, to overhaul the federal bureaucracy by cutting redundant programs, streamlining agencies, and introducing results-oriented management. In AP Gov it's an example of presidential efforts to make the bureaucracy more efficient and accountable.

### Is the NPR in AP Gov the same as National Public Radio?

No. In AP Gov, NPR stands for the National Performance Review, the 1993 bureaucratic reform initiative. National Public Radio is the media organization, which is relevant to Unit 5 media topics, not bureaucracy.

### Did the National Performance Review get rid of the federal bureaucracy?

No. The NPR streamlined and restructured agencies, but the bureaucracy kept all of its core functions, like writing and enforcing regulations, issuing fines, and testifying before Congress. The goal was a bureaucracy that worked better, not one that disappeared.

### How is the National Performance Review different from the Pendleton Act?

The Pendleton Act (1883) created merit-based hiring to end the patronage spoils system, establishing the modern civil service. The NPR (1993) came over a century later and focused on efficiency, accountability, and managerial flexibility within that existing merit-based bureaucracy.

### Do I need to know the National Performance Review for the AP Gov exam?

It's not a required foundational document or case, so you won't be quizzed on it directly. But it's excellent specific evidence for Topic 2.12 questions about how presidents check the bureaucracy or how the bureaucracy is held accountable, especially in an Argument Essay.

## Related Study Guides

- [2.12 The Bureaucracy](/ap-gov/unit-2/bureaucracy/study-guide/Ry6mEWFp4DgDQfXDswZU)

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