The government's vision of autonomous prisons held to account for delivering against defined outcomes is welcome – but it will require a step change in the way performance is measured

What values should guide officials at a time of deep scepticism with democratic institutions? David Faulkner was a civil servant at the Home Office for over 30 years before joining Oxford University's Centre for Criminology – here he shares his thoughts on how public officials can secure the confidence of the citizens they serve

For many in politics, purdah is an excuse to close down any public facing or vaguely innovative government activity, writes former home secretary Jacqui Smith

George Osborne’s third budget in 12 months will force departments to find the lion’s share of “easy” savings through barely-mentioned pensions changes hidden in the small print

Behind some of the dubious and downright dishonest claims in the debate over Britain's place in the EU is a belief that government is easy. This is nonsense

From the editor: Iain Duncan Smith's resignation highlights the sheer power of the Treasury under George Osborne

The Institute for Goverment's Emily Andrews responds to our columnist's call for the Government Digital Service to once again bare its teeth and shake up departmental thinking...

GDS has been a game-changer for the UK. But Joshua Chambers asks whether the big fish will survive without finding fresh feeding grounds

The civil service has always had great people, argues former senior Cabinet Office official Andrew Greenway – but it must get better at valuing trust over hierarchy

If the House of Commons moves too far away from Whitehall departments, it will make life much harder for both ministers and civil servants

Looking back on past government blunders, it’s hard not to think senior officials could have done more to persuade politicians to take better decisions, argues former senior civil servant Martin Stanley 

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