There are silver linings to be found among the clouds of recession if public sector leaders allow innovative ideas to get off the ground, argues Geoff Mulgan
Labour and the Tories agree on the need for a tough welfare regime to get claimants into the workplace. But differences are emerging as the recession lengthens the dole queue – and puts pressure on...
Adrian Ringrose’s meteoric rise has culminated in his appointment as chair of the CBI public services board. He tells Vivienne Russell that the private sector is compatible with public ideals
Payment by results was meant to give the NHS financial stability and encourage hospitals to improve their productivity. But how well can a tariff system designed for a period of growth work in a...
Jeremy Colman believes audit bodies should themselves be accountable. He tells Paul Dicken that, after an external review, the Wales Audit Office is in better shape to cope with recession
If governments prove incapable of agreement on limiting climate change at Copenhagen, individuals will need to slow it through their own actions. An accounting approach to sustainability can help...
Much is expected of the Total Place initiative – ministers are hoping it will join up services while producing huge savings. Guy Clifton warns, however, that the consequences have not been properly...
The scale of the public sector deficit demands no-holds-barred solutions. So could Total Place – the latest weapon in the government’s armoury – help to lower costs without damaging vital services?...
The main parties’ health spokesmen took centre stage during the conference season. But as we head towards an election, they will need to spell out how to maintain quality while making necessary...
Forget the bonfire of the quangos, it’s managers and back-office staff who are in politicians’
line of fire now. But can layers of ‘bureaucrats’ really be taken out without harming services
on the...
Leadership skills will be vital for public sector managers in the difficult days ahead. They
will have to review structures, manage their staff more effectively and communicate a
vision. Jody...
The collapse of Iceland’s banks forced a rethink of local authority investment strategies. A year on, many councils are putting safety before returns, others are still skating on the edge and...
Batten down the hatches, the worst is yet to come. Even if the recession is now over, there are mounting social and financial pressures on the UK. Only radical government action can avert disaster,...
Public bodies run costly risks when they use the Private Finance Initiative, argues Matthew Dillon. Managing special purpose companies is one of the most obvious
Conservatives gather next week knowing they need to spell out plans for austerity government. They’re taking tips from Tory ‘easyCouncils’
on how to get more for less. Philip Johnston asks whether...
With a spending squeeze looming, public sector leaders should take the initiative now to ensure any changes are on their terms. Gill Hunter advises on the best way to go about it
Whatever happened to that brave new political dawn? Things really did get better but, as New Labour gathers for its last conference before the election, the public couldn’t be less grateful. Demos’s...
As public services in the UK brace themselves for a new surge of swine flu, what have we learnt from the first wave of the pandemic? David Williams talks to practitioners and policy makers on the...
Northern Ireland's new finance minister is not a typical politician. A motorcycle enthusiast, he is relaxed, informal and very un-PC. Paul Gosling asks him to map out his plans for the road ahead
A quarter of all government spending is on goods and services provided by third parties but the public sector is still poor at managing suppliers. In these difficult times, organisations need to get...
Traditional capital funding methods are proving risky. So why shouldn't local authorities be able to adopt the US model of municipal bonds, asks Chris Leslie
The NHS has been drawn into an explosive row over US health care reform. As President Barack Obama defends his proposals before Congress, Ruth Thorlby of the King’s Fund examines the issues at stake...
The good news is that record numbers of young people are applying for degree courses. The
bad news is that higher education does not have enough funding and some universities are at financial risk....
