Civil Service World's regular guide to the very best in Whitehallese

As Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude has overseen the biggest shake-up of the civil service in living memory – and earned a reputation as ‘a man trying to fight everyone in the pub at the same time’. It’s a description he’s proud to embrace, he tells Jess Bowie.

Caretaker government is meant to reassure the public and the markets that there’s someone in charge in the event of an indecisive election. But what if the rules aren’t clear? Matt Foster takes a look

It’s two years since the launch of the Major Projects Leadership Academy, a training school designed to improve the leadership of big public sector schemes. With 100 graduates now under its belt, is the programme achieving its aims? Colin Marrs reports

Lord Falconer is the man entrusted by Ed Miliband with preparing Labour for government. Here he speaks to Matt Foster about the party’s plans for Whitehall, and why he thinks the coalition has got its relationship with the civil service "dramatically wrong". Photos by Louise Haywood-Schiefer

Five years ago, Gus O’Donnell was a key player in the delicate transition to a coalition government. Peter Hennessy asks the former cabinet secretary what we might expect after next month’s vote

Across the world, central and local governments are doing more to share common IT systems. Joshua Chambers looks at global examples of “government as a platform”

Civil Service World's regular guide to the very best in Whitehallese

Before Margaret Hodge returned to being simply the Labour candidate for Barking, she spoke to Matt Foster about HMRC, claims of grandstanding and her high-profile time as chair of the Public Accounts Committee. Photos by Paul Heartfield

Alastair Campbell helped change the relationship between government and Whitehall forever. But it wasn’t all bad, he tells JP O’Malley – in fact civil servants still phone him up for advice today

Cutting-edge communications and training campaigns are using the theories and technologies behind the best video games, says Joshua Chambers

Four years on, has the Aerospace Growth Partnership given the aviation industry an uplift? Colin Marrs investigates

Civil Service World's regular guide to the very best in Whitehallese

After a rocky start, the government’s ambitious plan to integrate health and social care is ready for launch. But is the challenge simply too big? Mark Rowe asks the experts

From the homeless and crime victims to the abused children of Rotherham, Louise Casey has spent her career fighting for society’s most vulnerable. Sarah Aston meets her. Photos by Tal Cohen

With the defence budget becoming ever more contentious, the MoD’s permanent secretary Jon Thompson must continue to balance spending decisions with national security. It’s a tough job – but one he’s privileged to do, he tells Jess Bowie. Photos by Paul Heartfield

Civil Service World presents our new, regular guide to the very best in Whitehallese

Journalist, doctor and academic Ben Goldacre - author of the acclaimed books Bad Science and Bad Pharma - tells CSW what works and what doesn't in the civil service

Public participation may be the key to better services, but how do you enable citizens to perform their civic duty? Tim Gibson reports from a recent CSW roundtable

What happened when the Food Standards Agency’s Food Safety Week message caught the public’s imagination?

The referendum could yet prove to be the catalyst that changes Scotland, but for some, the change has been more personal

Colin Marrs talks to Peter Wilding, who moved from head of energy policy at HM Treasury to Treasury secondee in Cheshire West & Chester

Information Technology is a contentious topic in healthcare circles. But that didn’t stop CSW exploring its potential at a recent round table, as Tim Gibson reports

An anonymous TfL project manager speaks to Natasha Clark about the complexities of delivering a 21st century service operating on Victorian infrastructure