Cabinet Office Minister Liam Byrne has announced a new ‘Innovation Council’ to fast-track ‘front-line’ innovation. Continue reading “Innovation in Government (again)”
Category: Public Management
Taxation is the Price of Civilisation
In the USA there are reports of so-called ‘tea-party’ protests, modelled on the famous ‘Boston Tea Party’ protests against taxation imposed by the British government on the (then) US colonies. But the US protesters (in reality the Republicans) rather the miss the point – the ‘Boston Tea Party’ was not a protest against taxation, but against ‘taxation without representation’, which is rather different. Continue reading “Taxation is the Price of Civilisation”
Acid test for reform of public services looms
by Nicholas Timmins, Financial Times, April 16 2009
For the better part of a decade, Labour ministers have been promising a “transformation” in public services – one that would ensure Britain’s health and education systems could bear comparison with the world’s best. READ IT
Big is Beautiful in “Local” Government?
This week 43 English local government bodies were merged into just nine much larger local governments. Whilst most commentators have concentrated on the implications for local democracy, which are important, they have missed the bigger picture. Continue reading “Big is Beautiful in “Local” Government?”
A ‘light touch’ in the public sector is highly unlikely now.
‘Light-touch regulation’ was very fashionable for the private sector until recently – after the banking debacle it is rapidly going out of fashion. Meanwhile the government maintains in the recent White Paper ‘Working Together‘ this is its’ policy aim for the public sector – is this situation viable? Not likely….
read the full article in Public Finance
Budgeting for Hard Choices – in 2011
Central government current receipts in February were 9.8% lower and current spending in February was 6.5% higher than in the same month last year, the IFS reported today (19 March 2009). What a surprise.
As government income drops and spending increases all eyes will be on Chancellor Alistair Darling when he announces Budget 2009 on 22nd April. But the real Budget to watch will be in Spring 2011. Continue reading “Budgeting for Hard Choices – in 2011”
New EU concept paper on Public Service Reform
A very useful new ‘concept paper‘ has just been published by the European Commission, authored mainly by UK professor Norman Flynn. Aimed at the development community, it will nevertheless be of interest to all scholars and practitioners of public management.
Efficiency savings urged to ease pain of cuts
from the FT – By Nicholas Timmins
Published: March 10 2009 00:39 | Last updated: March 10 2009 00:39 Continue reading “Efficiency savings urged to ease pain of cuts”
Rate your doctor on-line? – another Whitehall-centric initiative
Even when the Government claims to be ’empowering patients’ it manages to do it in a Whitehall-centric way. Continue reading “Rate your doctor on-line? – another Whitehall-centric initiative”
Modernising Government Mk II: ‘Working Together’
Back in 1999 ‘Modernising Government’ was finally published. After nearly two years gestation the general verdict was that it was indeed an elephant – huge, sprawling and ungainly. Everything including the kitchen-sink had been thrown into the lengthy, turgid and mind-numbingly boring document. Well, now we have Modernising Government II – or ‘Working Together: Public Services on Your Side’ (published on Tuesday 10 March 2009). Continue reading “Modernising Government Mk II: ‘Working Together’”
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