Analysis

Ahead of Wednesday's budget, here's CSW's round-up of the civil service in the news, including the latest on possible job cuts, and a memo from the HMRC's Lin Homer on the latest "disappointing" demand for new savings

As Matt Hancock takes up post as Cabinet Office minister in charge of efficiency and civil service reform, Sam Faroqui assesses his career to date

As the country goes to the polls, here's CSW's full guide to what the 2015 election will mean for the civil service

Senior civil servants are used to facing tough questioning from select committees. Elizabeth Bates looks at what the next parliament might have in store for these powerful groups of MPs

Thirty three companies take the lion’s share of central government procurement spending, between them receiving roughly £10bn of Whitehall money each year. But who are they? Do they truly understand the public sector? And do civil servants trust them? Rebecca Sims-Robinson crunches the numbers.

Policy-makers around the world are using open data to bolster their development programmes, says Liz Carolan of the Open Data Institute

Whitehall expert Akash Paun gives a crash course in what to expect in the event of another indecisive election result

In the second of CSW's in-depth assessments of the party manifestos, Mark Rowe picks apart the Tory document to find out what the party has in store for the civil service

Former health secretary (2010-12) Andrew Lansley talks to Civil Service World about his best and worst experiences of working with the civil service

Former environment secretary (2010-12) talks to Civil Service World about her best and worst experiences of working with the civil service, clearing her desk post-reshuffle, and why she believes Whitehall training could be boosted by secondment to the private or voluntary sectors

Courtesy of our colleagues at Dods Monitoring, here's a sector-by-sector summary of the main measures in Chancellor George Osborne's Budget.

The government's customer service must better suit user needs, according to a CSW webchat

Lord Levene hails a ‘sea change’ at the MoD

The chancellor of the exchequer’s final Autumn Statement of this Parliament provided an update on the government's economic plans. Our sister service, Dods Monitoring, analysed the Statement sector by sector. 

Chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne is due to give his Autumn Statement today (Wednesday 3 December) at 12:30pm. So what can be expected?

Audrey Collins, a record specialist at The National Archives, looks back at the impact of the First World War on the civil service

Former cabinet secretary Lord O’Donnell has spoken up for evidence-based policymaking – an approach often distorted by poor data or trumped by anecdotes

Cabinet Office digital director Mike Bracken and Open Data Institute chairman Nigel Shadbolt said that there is still more to do if the government, and UK, want to share and access meaningful open data, at the ODI’s 2014 summit on open innovation on 4, November.

A survey of MPs reveals a party divide over the decision to hire a businessperson as the new civil service chief.

CSW takes a look at the ins and outs of the Local Government (Independence) Bill 2014 - 2015

The Defence Select Committee chair has criticised the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) prioritising management skills over local expertise in its overseas staff, and expressed scepticism over the UK’s approach to developing strategy. 

On 27 March, Lucy Powell MP asked 21 departments to explain: what proportion of civil servants, of each sex and grade, work part-time.