The Greek crisis has given neo-liberals a a great opportunity to criticize ‘big government’ Hellenic style – they see the problem as a Big Fat Greek Government (apologies to the film of nearly that name). But as usual the truth about Greece’s problems are rather more complex – what Greece needs is not less Government, but better Government. Continue reading “My Big Fat Greek Government?”
Category: Public Management
The ‘Managerial Revolution’ is Over: They Won?
“Income Data Services, which totted up pay, bonuses and various share awards, says the average FTSE 100 executive director pocketed a 49 per cent rise in the last financial year to bring their remuneration to £2.7m a year. Chief executives had to make do with a 43 per cent rise, poor lambs.”
James Moore, The Independent, 28 Oct 2011.
This week I was teaching one of my MBA classes about ‘power in and around organizations’, which was also the title of a book written by the academic Henry Mintzberg back in 1983. Thirty years ago Mintzberg concluded that most of the evidence suggested that the power of senior management within corporations has massively expanded and that it was now they, rather than the technical owners – i.e. shareholders – who really controlled the organizations. Continue reading “The ‘Managerial Revolution’ is Over: They Won?”
Universities and the logic of public interest
My trade union, UCU, is campaigning against the establishment of “private” universities in the UK. They have a point about the way in which this is being done, which is in my view with reckless disregard for quality and probity issues which could damage the whole UK higher education sector. Continue reading “Universities and the logic of public interest”
Soviet Planning Meets Parliamentary Boundaries, and it’ll end in tears
The imposition of soviet-style ‘one size fits all’ Parliamentary constituencies on the complex organic realities of England is an extraordinarily clumsy and contentious move.
It smacks of moving towards Amercan-style boundary ‘Gerry mandering’, as well as distancing Parliamentary representation from real local communities. From a government supposedly committed to ‘localism’ this is a strange move, to say the least.
Now the realities of what these changes mean have become obvious, the legal changes needed to implement it look to be in severe danger from disgruntled MPs and Peers. Look out for another screeching U-turn in the near future.
Politicising the Met Won’t Help Policing
The appointment of Bernard Hogan-Howe as the new Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police is a political appointment, and all the poorer for it.
I don’t mean Mr Hogan-Howe is a Tory, although he has been publicly cosying up to their law and order agenda. I mean that the decision to appointment him, as opposed to Hugh Orde, was clearly politically motivated.
With public concern about the Met at a high level, and especially worries about relationships between the police, politicians and press after the phone hacking scandal led to the departure of the last Commissioner, it seems extraordinary that such a clearly politically motivated appointment should be made.
Most informed insiders thought Hugh Orde was the best qualified candidate, as did the two panels who looked in detail. But they have been overruled by the political concerns of the Tory Home Secretary and Tory London Mayor. This is bad news for the future of policing.
Virtual Life… after Death
This doesn’t really have anything to do with Whitehall or Public Management, but I got this extraordinary Press Release this morning and was so taken aback I just thought I needed to share it.
Maybe it should be relevant to public management – should government provide an e-death service along with all the other e-gov services?
“A long-needed service for our digital age, being unveiled today at the DEMO technology conference in Silicon Valley, now allows people to easily manage their “virtual” presence after death.
The company I-Postmortem today launched the websites I-Memorial (www.i-memorial.com) and I-Tomb (www.i-tomb.net). I-Memorial is a dynamic, secure, private site that chronicles milestones and thoughts, and allows people to prepare personal multimedia messages to be shared posthumously with loved ones. Additionally, I-Memorial is designed as a storehouse for a person’s digital life (account info, usernames, passwords, instructions, etc.), and allows that info to be shared after death so the deceased’s “virtual” existence can be managed
I-Tomb is The World Virtual Cemetery where I-Memorial entries are posted after death. Anyone anywhere can visit I-Tomb to learn about and honor a departed’s time on earth. People can create I-Tomb pages for loved ones and store cherished narratives, videos, audio recordings and photos there.”
Rebuilding Libya: Transitions in Public Management
Gaddafi is gone, and Libya faces a new future. Of course, the fighting is not completely over and he and his scions are still at large, but few doubt the regime is no more. Continue reading “Rebuilding Libya: Transitions in Public Management”
Why Greece is a Basket Case?
An excellent analysis over @ flipchartfairlytales which shows that the root of the Greek crisis is the failure of tax collection and the size of the shadow economy.
My comment was: Continue reading “Why Greece is a Basket Case?”
Public Servants or Public Leaders?
David Cameron’s remark that he sometimes felt like saying to our military chiefs “you do the fighting and I’ll do the talking” has raised some interesting issues. Continue reading “Public Servants or Public Leaders?”
Public Service Reform White paper delayed…. Again
Jill Sherman reports in today’s The Times (16 June 2011) that the Coalition government’s long delayed public service reform White Paper has been delayed, again. Continue reading “Public Service Reform White paper delayed…. Again”
Colin Talbot - my blog 