'Test-and-learn' approaches among proposed new additions to evaluation handbook
16 Apr Analysis

'Test-and-learn' approaches among proposed new additions to evaluation handbook

Evaluation Task Force seeks feedback from across government on potential updates to the Magenta Book
by Tevye Markson
Departments getting better at evaluating major projects
24 Apr Analysis
Departments getting better at evaluating major projects
Treasury perm sec pledges probe into OBR forecast 'leak'
13 Feb Analysis
Treasury perm sec pledges probe into OBR forecast 'leak'
Precedent-setting neurodiversity initiative among winners at Analysis in Government Awards
28 Jan Analysis
Precedent-setting neurodiversity initiative among winners at Analysis in Government Awards
UK ranked No.5 in global public-services league table
03 Oct 2022 Analysis
UK ranked No.5 in global public-services league table
United Arab Emirates is top performer in human-centred design analysis
Home Office delays job market review over data hiccup
21 Sep 2022 Analysis
Home Office delays job market review over data hiccup
Shortage occupation list review may end up using 2010 stats if issue with ONS dataset is not resolved quickly
Treasury rejects call for OBR forecast alongside mini-budget
21 Sep 2022 Analysis
Treasury rejects call for OBR forecast alongside mini-budget
MPs' request for "vital" assessment rejected, with Treasury citing need to move at "immense speed"
Delivering data dividends: lessons from the pandemic Partner Content
08 Jun 2022 Analysis
Delivering data dividends: lessons from the pandemic
Data proved to be a pivotal weapon in the fight against Covid-19, but it is vital to draw important lessons from this period to help strengthen the response to future public health challenges. BAE Systems’ Andy Lethbridge chronicles his experiences navigating uncharted waters at the heart of the UK’s pandemic response
Data black hole means government lacks grasp on two-thirds of local spending
04 May 2022 Analysis
Data black hole means government lacks grasp on two-thirds of local spending
Government does not understand why local authority performances vary due to £10bn data gap, think tank says
MoD's Ajax armed vehicle troubles 'may prove insurmountable', NAO warns
21 Mar 2022 Analysis
MoD's Ajax armed vehicle troubles 'may prove insurmountable', NAO warns
The National Audit Office says the department's approach to the £5.5bn programme was “flawed from the start”
Levelling up department 'has wasted opportunities’ to learn where spending could have biggest impact
02 Feb 2022 Analysis
Levelling up department 'has wasted opportunities’ to learn where spending could have biggest impact
NAO warns billions could be wasted if DHLUC does not improve its evaluation
Most government projects not properly evaluated – NAO
02 Dec 2021 Analysis
Most government projects not properly evaluated – NAO
Government “cannot have confidence” billions of pounds of spending “is making a difference”
Civil service’s national diversity hides local differences
22 Nov 2021 Analysis
Civil service’s national diversity hides local differences
Welsh Government sets targets to recruit more disabled staff, while defence organisations in south-west England have low proportions of female and gay employees
Budget 2021: Evaluation fund launched as departments agree new priority outcomes
27 Oct 2021 Analysis
Budget 2021: Evaluation fund launched as departments agree new priority outcomes
Treasury pledges to plug evidence gaps as it publishes new priority outcomes
The civil society data gap matters – and this is how we fill it
19 Oct 2021 Analysis
The civil society data gap matters – and this is how we fill it
Civil society is a vital part of our lives, but we know relatively little about the health of the sector. Ed Humpherson makes the case for taking action now to ensure policymakers have the data they need to better support – and work with – civil society in the future
More than three-quarters of people completed census online
27 Jul 2021 Analysis
More than three-quarters of people completed census online
National statistician reveals ONS exceeded target for first digital exercise
Analysis of Covid deaths by ethnicity scoops stats award
16 Jul 2021 Analysis
Analysis of Covid deaths by ethnicity scoops stats award
Winning project 'produced a profound piece of analysis that had huge effects right across government and the health service'
HMRC shared 5,000 citizen records with local councils in pilot ‘to analyse vulnerable and overlapping debtors’
07 May 2021 Analysis
HMRC shared 5,000 citizen records with local councils in pilot ‘to analyse vulnerable and overlapping debtors’
Newly published information-sharing register reveals programme took place last autumn
Ministerial directions shot up amid pandemic, analysis finds
28 Jan 2021 Analysis
Ministerial directions shot up amid pandemic, analysis finds
Think tank warns threefold increase in decisions to overrule officials' advice on spending must still be properly scrutinised
Review pay for civil service analysts if you want to meet net-zero goal, government told
08 Dec 2020 Analysis
Review pay for civil service analysts if you want to meet net-zero goal, government told
IfG says Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy should also call on a larger pool of external experts for policy advice
MPs call on Sunak to reveal economic impact assessment of Covid-19 measures
03 Nov 2020 Analysis
MPs call on Sunak to reveal economic impact assessment of Covid-19 measures
Treasury Select Committee seeks data briefed to SAGE as Labour demands end to last-minute policy scrambles
Government analysis function launches first-ever awards
28 Oct 2020 Analysis
Government analysis function launches first-ever awards
Civil servants are invited to put themselves forward for five categories, including impact and communication
‘The opportunity to have organisations of all types publishing data to common standards is really exciting’: why stats regulators' new award matters
21 Oct 2020 Analysis
‘The opportunity to have organisations of all types publishing data to common standards is really exciting’: why stats regulators' new award matters
The first ever award to recognise the voluntary application of the Office for Statistics Regulation code has been awarded jointly to MHCLG and the Scottish Fiscal Commission, with UCAS named highly commended.
Treasury perm sec Scholar tight-lipped on impact analysis for Covid-19 tiers
21 Oct 2020 Analysis
Treasury perm sec Scholar tight-lipped on impact analysis for Covid-19 tiers
Treasury perm sec grilled by MPs demanding figures for effect on businesses of new localised restrictions
Government Communication Service to collect and analyse data on public service radio ads
04 Mar 2020 Analysis
Government Communication Service to collect and analyse data on public service radio ads

Cabinet Office seeks supplier to fulfil two-year contract
Queen's Speech: Brexit and NHS among priorities as justice royal commission is announced
19 Dec 2019 Analysis
Queen's Speech: Brexit and NHS among priorities as justice royal commission is announced

30-bill legislative programme includes measures to develop new immigration rules and post-Brexit trade plans
What's changed? Boris Johnson's Brexit deal explained
18 Oct 2019 Analysis
What's changed? Boris Johnson's Brexit deal explained

Boris Johnson has hailed his new Brexit deal with the EU ahead of a parliamentary vote tomorrow. What’s changed since the last one?
Seen, but not heard: should ex-civil servants keep schtum on current affairs?
15 Oct 2019 Analysis
Seen, but not heard: should ex-civil servants keep schtum on current affairs?

Former officials have an increasingly public role in national debate – is that always a good thing? Suzannah Brecknell explores how retired mandarins balance their duty to contribute to the public discourse with the self-enforced code of caution