Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
It’s official – the Budget ‘red book’ contained a glaring error about NHS efficiency savings and thus the Chancellor (obviously inadvertently) misled Parliament. The Budget stated: “Budget 2010 confirms that the NHS will deliver annual efficiency savings of £15 to 20 billion by 2013-14.” (Para 6.14, page 90 – my emphasis).
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
The influential new book “Nudge” (Thaler and Sunstein 2008) comes from the emerging field of behavioral economics, which investigates the non-rational ways in which people make decisions. Its policy implications are radical – it advocates what the authors call “libertarian paternalism”. This paradoxical prescription is based on the idea of ‘choice architecture’ – the notion that the […]
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
Yesterday (29 March) I gave evidence to the Treasury Select Committee on this year’s Budget. I concentrated on the so-called ‘efficiency’ savings. One of the things I pointed out was the frankly fantastic projections for savings in the Health service – something which strangely no-one seems to have noticed. The Government is pledged to make […]
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
Society daily 25.03.2010 The Guardian What budget, asks Whitehall Watch’s Colin Talbot. “This must be the most non-budget in British history.” Certainly if you were expecting detail on …
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
This must be the most non-Budget in British history. No significant changes to taxation, or spending, over those already announced in the Pre Budget Report last autumn.
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
Following on from my ‘organisational amnesia’ post comes the National Audit Office’s report on reorganisations in British central Government. I have reproduced their ‘blurb’ below but since 1980 25 new government departments have been created, of which 13 no longer exist, compared to only 2 new ones in US federal government over the same period. […]
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
A few years ago the big fad was “organisational learning”. It still continues, but the British government seems intent on inventing a new concept: organisational amnesia. Here’s a small, but highly symbolic, example.
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
The Conservatives shadow Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, was yesterday widely quoted as codemning the governments health “targets” regime for forcing staff to “focus on ticking boxes not patients.” (FT 8th Mar 10).
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
First, read the manual Financial Times – Nicholas Timmins … and the requirement to search for work, or at least prepare for it,” Colin Talbot, professor of public management at Manchester Business School, says. …
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Whitehall Watch Posted:
Last week’s story in the UK that the Conservatives were now in favour of setting up “workers co-ops” to run public services (really!) was the culmination of a fascinating trend over recent years towards policy-makers favouring the ‘empowerment’ of public sector professionals. Both the New Labour Government and Tory opposition have been touting ideas about […]