When Foreign Office letters on a plan to move the entire population of  Hong Kong to Northern Ireland turned up at the National Archives, many media outlets failed to spot the hoax. Former FCO official David Snoxell shares the story behind the correspondence, and warns against humour-free diplomacy

When it comes to strengthening their health systems, emerging economies are not short of challenges – and "leapfrogging" can help deliver real change rapidly

Cuts made tactically may be unsustainable – the Treasury must use the 2015 review to reform public services in a lasting way

The Institute for Government director dissects the summer Budget and finds the toughest news is still to come for Whitehall

George Osborne says Britain deserves a pay rise. Unless you work in the public sector, of course

With more cuts to come, Whitehall departments are eyeing productivity gains as a silver bullet

Working on ambitious major projects can be daunting, but good planning can make life a lot more simple

A rigid, inflexible approach to project management is still embedded in Whitehall's culture – and government must be more willing to learn from failure

The civil service's leadership is undoubtedly serious about diversity, but it has a tough road ahead of it

Making the case for the necessity of further cutbacks is much harder in 2015 than in 2010, says the Institute for Government's director

Ahead of tonight’s ceremony celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Civil Service Awards, Björn Conway of EY shares his experience of being a judge, and why he believes it's important to celebrate the achievements of civil servants

Matt Hancock wants real-time data to underpin future spending decisions across governments. He's quite right, says Adrian Brown, but taking a strategic approach will be vital

Plans to cap “six figure” exit payments for public sector workers could have damaging consequences for trust and workforce management

Some departments take a deeply defensive attitude towards parliament, but developing a closer relationship with the Palace of Westminster could benefit civil servants in a number of ways, argues the Institute for Government's Dr Hannah White

Cameron's new implementation taskforces are a welcome step if government wants to prioritise impact. But delivery remains an uphill struggle

There’s plenty more austerity to come – but do plans for city devolution signal a brighter future?

The civil service's failure to keep pace with the private sector on pay will only get worse if there's no change in policy. Whitehall must recognise the scale of the problem

The new government looks very similar to the last one – but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s business as usual

Giving the civil service a formal role in the national policy conversation would play to its unique strengths

Civil servants want to see a light at the end of the tunnel, not five more years of the same, argues the FDA union's general secretary Dave Penman

Jane Dudman​ reads the runes as the civil service adjusts to a changing of the ministerial guard

As the dust settles on David Cameron's first post-election reshuffle, Dunstan Hadley – a former private office official in the Department for Education – reflects on the chaos and excitement of change at the top

"Newco" partnerships between the public and private sectors may be complex, but lawyer Louise Fullwood argues that good preparation can help cut the risks

"Big data" promises big rewards for government, says Douglas Beal of the Centre for Public Impact. But it must be driven by policy objectives and analysed by staff with the right skills