Minority governments evoke fear of chaos, but there may be an upside to the uncertainty, says IfG’s constitutional change expert 

Policies without adequate funds for implementation are little more than hot air, says the FDA general secretary

Civil servants fear uncertainty and, these days, a lack of direction is a real challenge for government, says Andrew Greenway

Established as Theresa May came to power, the international trade department has spent the last year supporting business and laying the groundwork for future trade deals, argues its permanent secretary

Robin Butler was at the heart of some of No. 10’s greatest crises. But Sue Cameron says a new biography doesn’t always capture the drama

If Theresa May wants to inspire confidence after a bruising election campaign, she should embrace openness and accountability

The Education permanent secretary sheds light on how his department is trying to tackle the problem of women being paid less than men

Group chat services can make civil servants more efficient by reducing email overload. If government does not embrace them, it will lose out

For people working in government, getting on with the task at hand should not be a morality-free process, says Claire Foster-Gilbert

The former DWP permanent secretary argues for a return to civility in the corridors of power, and offers his tips for preventing the ascendance of overmighty special advisers whose presence crushes open debate and discussion

For a public sector only just beginning to adapt to the demands of digital data, the looming General Data Protection Regulation obligations could be alarming. Jane Roberts of Toplevel asks how the GDPR will differ from existing legislation

Recording the extent of Whitehall's long-hours culture is the first step to a better deal for civil servants

There is an increasing clamour for a constitutional convention in the UK to review devolution and design a post-Brexit blueprint. Alan Renwick and Robert Hazell set out the key features for such a review.

Martin Stanley recalls his own shift into the world of watchdogs and introduces his new ‘Understanding Regulation’ website

Prime minister Theresa May can’t afford to shut herself off from good, impartial advice

Dan Corry, former special adviser and head of the charity think tank NPC, argues that the public and charity sectors must learn from each other as they face joint challenges of capacity, governance and transformation

Over-zealous application of 'purdah' rules are having worrying consequences for environmental discussions, argues Bob Ward of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment

Brexit isn’t the only difficult issue that next month’s vote needs to fix

Last week's cyber hack exploited weaknesses in widely used computing systems across the public sector, particularly the NHS. Leaders need to get better at evaluating the small risk of very serious harm and getting vulnerabilities onto ministerial agendas

Little is known about the contribution of non-executives in Whitehall departments since their role was expanded in 2010. A new study aims to find out how they work

The run up to an election creates time to review what Whitehall comms projects have gone well and to learn lessons that can be used with the incoming government

Civil servants across Whitehall are preparing day one briefing packs for new ministers. Andrew Greenway recalls it as a dubious honour

Whitehall can still face tricky decisions during an election and the purdah period can create problems – as demonstrated by the High Court battle over air quality guidelines

Governments across the world have been reducing the size of their civil service. What impact does this have on the employees who remain?