Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
By Martin Stanley Filed Under: All posts, Whitehall Watch Posted:
In the second of our series of posts exploring the corridors of power in Whitehall, former senior civil servant and public sector chief executive Martin Stanley discusses how we are governed and the tensions between the needs of Ministers, MPs and the wider public. The electorate clearly believe that ‘the Westminster Village’ is incompetent and/or […]
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Featured, Whitehall Watch Posted:
Over the coming weeks Policy@Manchester will run a series of blogs exploring the role of the Civil Service and how it works with Government Ministers. In the first, Colin Talbot explores whether “Sir Humphrey” is no more. Has the Civil Service moved away from the image of the public school, Oxbridge, pale, male and stale […]
By Michael Donmall Filed Under: All posts, Featured Posted:
After four people are suspected to have been killed by tablets that may have been thought to be ecstasy over the festive season, Michael Donmall, of the National Drug Evidence Centre at The University of Manchester writes about the dangers of keeping recreational drugs illegal and calls for controlled availability of tested products. Recent deaths […]
By Michael Dawson Filed Under: All posts, Featured Posted:
Last month Metropolitan Police commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe called for fewer police forces in the UK as cuts in public spending change the way that out services have to operate . Here Michael Dawson, of devolution campaign group Campaign for the North says the region should have a single police force; There are many merits to Bernard Hogan-Howe’s recent […]
By Annie Austin Filed Under: Featured Posted:
Policy fetishism about GDP is being replaced by an unthinking devotion to simplistic happiness indicators, warns Annie Austin. “In a decade’s time we’re going to be using happiness as the sole basis for judging the impact of public policy.” So stated Paul Dolan recently in the opening sequence of ITV’s Tonight programme, entitled ‘Is Britain […]
By Diane Coyle Filed Under: Featured, Whitehall Watch Posted:
There is nothing inevitable or ‘natural’ about using GDP to measure the economy. The Office for National Statistics has embarked on a journey toward a more rounded assessment of economic well-being, argues Professor Diane Coyle. Just before Christmas, the Office for National Statistics took a giant step, in its normal low key manner: it published […]
By David Hulme Filed Under: Featured Posted:
As we enter 2015, Professor David Hulme looks ahead to the next twelve months in international development as the Millennium Development Goals come to an end and plans take shape for the next phase. This year, 2015, will be an important year for ideas and policies about international development. It marks the completion of the […]
By Ingrid Storm Filed Under: Ethnicity, Featured Posted:
Among ethnic minorities in Britain, religious people are more likely to volunteer, but only for ethnic and religious organisations, explains Dr Ingrid Storm. Since the 1990s, the government has involved ‘faith groups’ as partners in local policy and service provision in order to promote civic participation and community cohesion. However, it is as yet unclear […]
By Rob Ford, Will Jennings, Mark Pickup and Christopher Wlezien Filed Under: All posts, Polling Observatory Posted:
This is the forty-third in a series of posts that report on the state of the parties as measured by opinion polls. By pooling together all the available polling evidence we can reduce the impact of the random variation each individual survey inevitably produces. Most of the short term advances and setbacks in party polling […]
By Andrew Howes Filed Under: Featured Posted:
Dr Andy Howes, of the Manchester Institute of Education at The University of Manchester, discusses possible changes to the exam system, as discussed at an Education Select Committee meeting earlier this month. The select committee is arguably a high point of democratic accountability within the Westminster system. The Education Select Committee earlier this month was […]