The outgoing Commissioner for Public Appointments Sir David Normington warns that proposals to change the way ministers make appointments to top public posts would represent a step in the wrong direction — and could undermine progress in making sure jobs are awarded on merit

There is much to learn from the MyCSP fiasco, which has caused a great deal of distress to people who have worked hard for the civil service

As a union we have always taken the view that governments have an electoral mandate and can determine their spending accordingly. But they need to demonstrate that they can and will provide the civil service with the resources necessary to deliver

The devolution agenda is characterised by a high degree of "informal governance" – but a lack of guidance and procedure from Whitehall could lead to scepticism from councillors and the public

Using external advice is essential for good policymaking – but there seems to be little or no evaluation of the advice that is chosen. It is high time for some independent analysis, says Dr Ruth Levitt of King’s College London

This week the British Airline Pilots Association renewed warnings over the threat posed to aircraft by drones. Cranfield University expert Dr Monica Rivas Casaldo says a failure to regulate against the risks posed by unmanned aircraft shouldn’t overshadow their positive uses

Although attitudes are changing, officials with dyslexia are still underrepresented in the senior civil service. Having more visible role models will be vital in remedying this, says David Whineray of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

It now seems as though civil servants are being told to block information to ministers in favour of leaving the European Union, despite the fact that the same ministers are constitutionally accountable to parliament for the conduct of their departments. Today's hearing with the cabinet secretary must provide answers

Much of the debate over civil service support given to ministers in favour of Brexit is simple sound and fury. But the issue of the relationship between senior civil servants and ministers is unlikely to go away

Sue Higgins, executive leader at the National Audit Office, explains why the public spending watchdog decided to look into the relationship between ministers and perm secs – and why the NAO believes the incentives for accounting officers to prioritise value for money are still too weak

The civil service is completely dependent on the professionalism of its workforce – but is there enough recognition of the effect that distressing decisions can have on officials?

Why did George Osborne and his officials not admit that the tax system is not fit for purpose in 21st century Britain?

English devolution is a journey without a clear destination – producing a long overdue rebalancing of power, but within continuing tight financial constraints

Over the last decade the civil service has managed significant reductions in headcount. Why place all of this in jeopardy?

As the civil service vows to improve the diversity of its graduate intake, former senior official Andrew Greenway asks whether Oxford's famed PPE degree is really a golden ticket to the top of the political and administrative elite 

Civil servants will always need to be honest, impartial, objective, and act with integrity – but we must make sure we don’t encourage passivity or inertia

When an awkward clash erupts in your team, try to remember there is no such thing as “common sense” – only different perspectives

As the government's chief scientist says Blockchain technology could "revolutionise services", Jeni Tennison of the Open Data Institute examines some of the benefits to the public sector in taking a leaf out of Bitcoin's book

Most officials will be aware of cases where “perverse incentives” hamper better service delivery. Joshua Chambers takes a global view of how corporate cannibalism and bare-faced theft can be a recipe for success

The recent NAO report and Civil Service People Survey both suggest Whitehall could learn some important lessons about leadership and teamwork from the behaviour displayed on reality television

With the path from Whitehall to Davos well-worn, Adrian Brown suggests how delegates at this week's event might turn pledges into reality 

Sir Nicholas Macpherson – the longest serving Treasury perm sec for sixty years – can be credited with overseeing the rebuilding of the finance ministry. But his successor faces a formidable in-tray

It’s right that the current crop of successful, committed public servants have been recognised by the honours system. But with senior officials’ pay and reward packages decreasing while the political risk associated with their roles shoots up, will the government be able to attract equally talented successors? 

The public services watchdog seeks help from civil servants in drawing up a new service charter