Sir Brian Bender’s Whitehall career ended last year after a stint leading the business department, but he watches government closely still – and has strong views on civil service reform and austerity. Matthew O’Toole hears them

Dominic Martin represents the UK at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, better known as the OECD. He tells Matthew O’Toole how Whitehall can get more out of the statistic-gathering organisation

Lisa Harker co-leads IPPR, the think-tank most closely associated with the New Labour era. But as Matthew O’Toole hears, these days she’s just as keen to engage with other political parties – not to mention Whitehall

The latest figures show that government bodies are making patchy progress towards their 2010-11 targets for sustainable operations. Ruth Keeling examines both what’s helping them improve, and what’s holding them back.

The money public bodies spend on artwork or sculpture for their buildings is often seen as a frivolous waste. Penny Johnson, director of the Government Art Collection, gives Ruth Keeling the counter argument

Lords reform, freedom of information, devolution, not to mention MPs’ expenses – policymakers and lawyers at the Ministry of Justice have had a busy decade. Ruth Keeling talks to constitutional issues chief Rowena Collins Rice

Planning inspectors may be small in number, but they have a crucial say in our country’s development. Head of profession Rynd Smith tells Matthew O’Toole what qualities they need

Having left the Sustainable Development Commission, veteran environment activist Jonathon Porritt can now speak freely on sustainability policy. Matthew O’Toole hears complaints that Whitehall has resisted change 

In the first of a series of interviews with think-tank leaders, Matt Ross meets Andrew Haldenby: the plain-speaking director of influential, right-leaning think-tank Reform – and an ascerbic critic of the civil service

Without a coordinated approach to intervention in conflicts, both nations and departments can end up working at cross-purposes. Matt Ross meets Richard Teuten, who fosters over-arching UK strategies on armed struggles

In a week when the weather has disrupted travel and brought a surreal dimension to life, Edward Garnier still manages to be amazed by the latest abortive coup against the prime minister.

This week’s interviewee works with young people leaving residential care, and is based in the social work department of a deprived, inner-city local authority in England.

This week’s public servant is a part-time postman at a Royal Mail sub-post office, with experience in a major sorting office.

Former information commissioner Richard Thomas has a new job: overseeing the government’s systems of administrative justice. He talks to Matt Ross about the challenges, potential and importance of both roles

Special advisers occupy a twilight zone between elected politicians and the formal structures of the civil service. In a special report, we profile these ‘spads’ – the group Clare Short called “the people who live in the dark."

Social entrepreneur Andrew Mawson has spent 25 years developing community projects, several of which have been adopted by government. But the public sector often kills the golden goose, he tells Matt Ross; to understand why, the civil service must recognise that “the way into the macro is through the micro”.

Paddy Ashdown, former Lib Dem leader and co-chair of the IPPR’s Commission on National Security, tells Matt Ross that we are ill-prepared for the challenges of a new era of globalised, decentralised power

The Homes and Communities Agency has its formal launch on 1 December, charged with fostering housebuilding and regeneration. The economic climate could barely be more daunting – but Matt Ross finds its new head, Sir Bob Kerslake, characteristically relaxed

As the top lawyer for two large Whitehall departments, Richard Heaton operates at the heart of the delivery environment. Here, he tells Matt Mercer about the role of government lawyers, and running his departmental law firm.