The UK in 2013: A Failing Economy or a Failing State?

Maybe I’m being a bit overdramatic (and simplistic) with that headline, but I wanted to pose a question rather sharply – are we busily focussing on a failing economy in the UK when what we should really be worried about is a failing state? Continue reading

Posted in Parliament, Political Economy, Politics, Whitehall | 7 Comments

Restructuring the Social Sciences? What do you think?

My attention was drawn to this article by the head of Harvard’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science. Some commentators have been highly sceptical, pointing out the massive recent failures of the queen of quantitative social science, economics, for example.

My own initial reaction is that whilst King’s claims may be somewhat overblown, and they do minimise the problems, both within social sciences and between social scientists and policy makers, they do point to some very interesting developments and possibilities in the development of social sciences. I am wondering what others think? Comments welcome!

Restructuring the Social Sciences
Gary King* January 1, 2013
Abstract

The social sciences are undergoing a dramatic transformation from studying problems to solving them; from making due with a small number of sparse data sets to analyzing increasing quantities of diverse, highly informative data; from isolated scholars toiling away on their own to larger scale, collaborative, interdisciplinary, lab-style research teams; and from a purely academic pursuit to having a major impact on the world. To facilitate these important developments, universities, funding agencies, and governments need to shore up and adapt the infrastructure that supports social science research. We discuss some of these developments here, as well as a new type of organization we created at Harvard to help encourage them — the Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences. An increasing number of universities are beginning efforts to respond with similar institutions. This paper provides some suggestions for how individual universities might respond and how we might work together to advance social science more generally.

http://gking.harvard.edu/files/gking/files/iqsss.pdf

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IPPR, the Cabinet Office and me (not). Or why I’ll be more careful about collaborating with think tanks in the future.

When the Cabinet Office advertised their “outsourced” project to get advice about how some other countries manage the relationship between Ministers and Mandarins they made it clear they wanted a think-tank or University to bid for it. This is the (brief) version of how I was part, and then not part, of the winning bid. Continue reading

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2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 54,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 12 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

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An early Christmas present from HMRC’s dodgy computers suggests trouble ahead?

I’ve just been on the sharp end of HMRCs rather dodgy tax computers. I read stories about them spitting out incorrect tax codes and causing all sorts of mayhem, but I never thought it would happen to me. Continue reading

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’You Can’t Borrow Your Way Out of a Debt Crisis’. Er, actually you can Mr Osborne. It depends….

One of George Osborne’s favourite mantra’s is the above one. Unfortunately it’s based on a rather school-boy understanding of economics.
Of course everyone is familiar with the personal debt spiral. Adam and Eve enjoy the good life. They spend a bit more than they earn and make up the difference with credit card debt. Once they’ve maxed out their credit cards they start taking out pay-day loans at exorbitant interest. Before you know it their mole-hill of debt has turned into a mountain and they have no way out except bankruptcy and/or years of austerity. Continue reading
Posted in Political Economy, Politics, Spending, Whitehall | 3 Comments

After Austerity: What Happens After You’ve Slain the Deficit Dragon, George?

The final point I want to make is about the “dog that didn’t bark” in Mr Osborne’s Autumn Statement. What could, and should Britain look like After Austerity? Continue reading

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The Autumn Statement Blame Game: Austerity Agitprop and the Double (Triple) Dip (#SR2013)

The second major thing wrong with today’s Autumn Statement was the usual political spin embedded in Mr Osborne’s “it weren’t me guv” plea.

According to the Chancellor, supposedly aided and abetted by the OBR, the poorer than expected economic results, and knock-on poorer than expected public finances, is all down to those rotten Continentals over in the Eurozone (EZ). Continue reading

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Geeky Gripes About the Autumn Statement. (#SR2013)

George Osborne delivered his Autumn Statement today to general critical declaim.

Let me begin with a rather geeky gripe about the Autumn Statement. It was a mini-Budget, indeed a mini-Spending Review, rather than an Autumn Statement. In this George Osborne has gone one up on his predecessor, Alistair Darling, who has famously said he delivered 6 Budgets in his 3 years as Chancellor (in his book ‘Back from the Brink’). Continue reading

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Whitehall: What a Performance

In a couple of weeks I’m attending a (private) seminar on Lessons from the History of Whitehall Performance Measurement Systems.

I have fairly well developed views of my own on this already, but I’d be very interested to get any input from colleagues, especially those with “insider knowledge” of how these things have worked and evolved. Continue reading

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MBS Doctoral Funding Opportunities – September 2013 entry

Please see below for details of available funding for PhDs starting 2013.

If anyone is interested in applying to research in the areas of public sector performance, civil service reform, general public management, etc I would be willing to consider supporting an application and being named as a potential supervisor. But please note these schemes are highly competitive. Continue reading

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Police and Crime Commissioners: A Muddled Policy Shambolically Implemented.

I appeared briefly on BBC TV nationally and in the NW after the PCC election farce and made some remarks I thought it might be worth just expanding on a little.

There were two issues about these elections: were they a good idea in the first place? And were they badly implemented? Continue reading

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Why Health and Education get more expensive and Computers don’t.

What do health care, education, symphony orchestras and hairdressing all have in common? They all seem to get remorselessly more costly to produce. A new book – The Cost Disease by William Baumol and others – sets out to explain why. Continue reading

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Good Government – a Mid-Term Review (Event)

The Institute for Government is pleased to bring to your attention the following event hosted by the Better Government Initiative.

Good Government – a Mid-Term Review An event to mark the launch of a new report

Wednesday 14th November 2012, 18:00 – 19:30 Continue reading

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Policy@Manchester week: great line up of speakers and events. All Welcome.

Out first ‘Policy@Manchester’ Week – 29 Oct to 2 Nov – is now finalised with a great set of speakers and events.

For more details got to http://www.manchester.ac.uk/policy and follow the link to the Week.

To reserve a place at an event email policy@manchester.ac.uk Continue reading

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The Changing (?) Sociology of the Senior Civil Service – what do you know?

I am currently (re)exploring some issues around the nature of the British “administrative elite” – which, for reasons I’ll explain in a later publication, I am restricting to mainly the Senior Civil Service (SCS) for the moment. Continue reading

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Reforming the Senior Civil Service – what do you think?

The #GreatWestCoastRailShambles has raised again the issue of the competence, or otherwise, of the Senior Civil Service.

Ministers are blaming the mess purely on civil servants, whilst others are pointing to a flawed policy. Without a lot more information, it’s hard to know how much of each was involved. But it certainly gives even more ‘edge’ to current project to re-examine the relationship between Ministers and Mandarins commissioned by Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude. The contract was awarded to IPPR, with me participating in the project (see here). Continue reading

Posted in Public Administration, Public Management, Whitehall | 25 Comments

It’s Not Best Practice, It’s Best Recovery that creates excellence

The inestimable Atul Gawande (author of The Checklist Manifesto) has done it again with a brilliant little column in the New Yorker.

Continue reading

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Spending Review 2013 – politics trumps planning, again.

So, it appears fairly certain now that the Coalition Government is going to announce – sometime next year – Spending Review 2013. Continue reading

Posted in Whitehall | 7 Comments

Civil Service – getting on or getting out? (Guardian discussion)

Here’s the summary of my contributions to yesterday’s discussion on the Guardian Public Leaders Network. Continue reading

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