How government can work better with academia
External evidence and expertise is crucial to good policy making – a new report from the Institute for Government sets out how Whitehall can use it better
The civil service used to subsidise artists, now it’s consultants. Are services better for it?
Automation has squeezed out the creatives that used to harbour in administrative...
Ministers would do well to remember what a big deal Brexit is for Ireland
The UK’s exit from the European Union will affect countries beyond our borders. A conference in...
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Former minister Francis Maude's attack on the civil service highlights what not to do if you want to improve government, argues former DWP permanent secretary Sir Leigh Lewis
The recently merged department lacks strategic coherence and authentic leaders – civil servants won't take it any more
Green-lighting pay rises without increasing budgets is not an end to austerity, says Civil Service World editor
From the Manchester bombing to the Grenfell Tower fire, Whitehall faces constant unprecedented demands and must focus on building resilience
Moves to establish professions across government have made significant strides, but some functions are more advanced than others. Now is the time to quicken the reforms
New rules mean Whitehall departments will need to think about privacy implications and data protection issues right at the start of policy developments. Here’s how to get ready for the change
Summer recess spurns all kinds of stories, but the international development secretary’s splash on ‘crazy’ Whitehall salaries was particularly cowardly
The revelation that the number of students overstaying their visa is much lower than expected exposes the impact of bad data in policymaking. More must be done to address poor quality figures to ensure the government is not caught out again
Public sector pay has been in the headlines, but there’s a lack of innovative thinking on changing the reward package across government. It’s time to try more radical solution
If Whitehall pushes ahead with plans to move civil servants around the country, it must conduct proper impact evaluations
Civil servants are increasingly working overtime and face being continually on call for major emergencies. Whitehall staff need uninterrupted breaks to recharge their batteries – even if that means leaving some summer emails unanswered
New research by the Public Chairs’ Forum (PCF), Association of Chief Executives (ACE) and Institute for Government (IfG) highlights the need for greater consistency, strategic collaboration, transparency, and better cross-government working to improve partnerships between arm’s-length bodies (ALBs) and government departments. Here’s what can be done.