Whitehall Watch

Oxbridge Universities are the go to places for academic research and expertise: but it’s not the whole story

By Carole Talbot Filed Under: All posts, Whitehall Watch Posted: May 19, 2015

Can ‘outsider’ universities break the Oxbridge stranglehold on the Civil Service? Carole Talbot explores… It’s well understood that Whitehall Civil Servants go to Oxford and Cambridge Universities more often than elsewhere. And, many of the linkages into these universities are based on civil servants having attended one of the Oxbridge Colleges themselves and that the […]

Picking a research winner

By Andy Westwood Filed Under: Devo, Featured, Science and Technology, Whitehall Watch Posted: May 1, 2015

What research will the next government back and how should it choose? asks Professor Andrew Westwood. As we approach the General Election, the discussions of the research community in universities tend to focus on how to preserve the ‘science ringfence’ and the ‘dual support system’ (funding through both the Research Councils and the Funding Councils). […]

Transport can be the driver for the Northern Powerhouse

By Graham Winch Filed Under: Devo, Featured, Whitehall Watch Posted: April 24, 2015

The outgoing coalition government launched the Northern Transport Strategy just days before the start of the General Election campaign – surely no coincidence. Professor Graham Winch looks beyond the short-term politics to explain why the outlined investment is worth it. The just published Northern Transport Strategy aims to use better transport links in Northern England […]

How the high cost of PFI has added to the deficit

By Anne Stafford Filed Under: Featured, Whitehall Watch Posted: April 21, 2015

The debate on the deficit has been dominated by the cost of bailing-out the banks and the affordability of the welfare state. The impact of expensive PFI contracts should not be overlooked, explains Dr Anne Stafford. No matter who wins the General Election, the next government will have to deal with the growing cost of […]

Statistics, the Sun and government press offices

By Louis Appleby Filed Under: Featured, Whitehall Watch Posted: April 10, 2015

Reporting the relationship between mental illness and homicide and suicide must be handled sensitively. When it is not, a social media firestorm can follow, explains Professor Louis Appleby. It was about 18 months ago, late at night, when I checked my Twitter timeline for news. What I found took me by surprise. The mental health […]

Reorganising the NHS: Never again?

By Kieran Walshe Filed Under: Devo, Featured, Whitehall Watch Posted: April 2, 2015

As we approach the election, the prospect of yet more organisational restructuring for the NHS fills Kieran Walshe with dismay. The next government needs to focus more on changes which make a difference to patients, and which are founded on good evidence about what works. The ability to hold two conflicting positions in your mind […]

Can performance pay in primary care reduce mortality?

By Evangelos Kontopantelis Filed Under: Featured, Whitehall Watch Posted: March 31, 2015

Government policy assumed that incentives for general practice through performance-related-pay would improve mortality rates and other outcomes. Its scheme for doing this appears not to have worked as intended, explains Evangelos Kontopantelis. Primary care has enormous potential for improving population health outcomes – including mortality from common chronic conditions – through early intervention in the […]

Why do politicians sometimes ignore scientific advice?

By Martin Stanley Filed Under: All posts, Featured, Westminster Watch, Whitehall Watch Posted: March 9, 2015

Respected scientist Sir Paul Nurse recently expressed his distress that politicians sometimes “ignore” scientific evidence. Here is a slightly different take on the issue from the perspective of a recent senior civil servant. At one level, of course, I agree with Sir Paul. I can’t prove it but I suspect that many if not most […]

Why devolution is good for the economy

By Diane Coyle Filed Under: Devo, Featured, Whitehall Watch Posted: March 2, 2015

The case for the devolution of power away from London has centred on the political arguments. Professor Diane Coyle looks at the economic reasons. The context for the devolutionary tide in politics – to the nations and within England to the north and especially Greater Manchester – is that the United Kingdom has long been […]

A Mayor for All Seasons?

By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Devo, Featured, Whitehall Watch Posted: February 27, 2015

From June, Greater Manchester will get an interim mayor as part of a deal with the Government on regional devolution. But its imposition without a referendum is a fundamental error by the political elite that may well backfire, argues Professor Colin Talbot. ‘Mayors’ seem to have become the default answer of many in the political […]

Oxbridge Universities are the go to places for academic research and expertise: but it’s not the whole story

Picking a research winner

Transport can be the driver for the Northern Powerhouse

How the high cost of PFI has added to the deficit

Statistics, the Sun and government press offices

Reorganising the NHS: Never again?

Why do politicians sometimes ignore scientific advice?

Why devolution is good for the economy

A Mayor for All Seasons?

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