Rethinking Whitehall:

The Future of the Civil Service

The Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) is the UK’s leading progressive think tank. Through our well-researched and clearly argued policy analysis, our strong networks in government, academia and the corporate and voluntary sectors and our high media profile, we can play a vital role in maintaining the momentum of progressive thought.

Top line

This project will review the options for civil service reform and, drawing on international experience, it will clearly identify the steps needed to be taken to ensure that the civil service is fit for purpose in the twenty-first century.

Aims

ippr proposes to:

●Explore the proper roles and functions of a central government civil service

● Identify where the civil service is working and where it has broken down

●Understand what factors explain poor performance

●Conduct a comparative survey of international administrative systems, highlighting overseas experiences which offer models for the UK

●Set out what the priorities for reform should be and how the politics of reform should be managed

●Recommend specific and practical policy proposals

The project will focus its analysis in the following key research areas:

  • Roles and Functions
  • Civil Servant-Minister relations
  • Performance & Capacity
  • Leadership and Skills
  • Governance and Accountability
  • Organisation and Structure

Key Issues and Themes:

Rethinking Whitehall

  • Diagnosing the problem: What are the strengths and weaknesses of Whitehall?
  • The changing context: What are the challenges facing Whitehall?
  • Fit for purpose: What role should Whitehall perform in the 21st century?

Roles and functions

  • What roles and functions are performed by the civil service, and are these the right ones?
  • Should these roles be performed elsewhere?
  • What roles and functions should it perform to remain relevant in the 21st century?

Civil Service-Minister relations

  • What do ministers want from the civil service?
  • What should be the relationship between civil servants and ministers?
  • Do civil servants still give free and frank advice or have we seen a decline in those saying ‘No, Minister’? If so what factors explain this?
  • Does Whitehall need more politicisation and more political appointments? Is the cabinet system a runner?

Performance and Capacity

  • Is there a performance deficit in Whitehall? If so what explains it?
  • Does the civil service have the right management culture to perform its functions?
  • Is the notion of separating policy design from delivery sensible?
  • How can performance be improved? Should Whitehall departments be externally audited? Is there a need for a comprehensive performance assessment equivalent in Whitehall?

Governance and Accountability

  • Does the civil service have effective governance structures?
  • Who governs the civil service and what pressure can be brought to bear on the civil service machine?
  • Are civil service models of accountability outdated?
  • Should civil servants be made more accountable for decisions they take? Do we need clearer lines of responsibility for decisions taken by civil servants and ministers?

Leadership and Skills

  • What components make-up effective leadership in Whitehall?Is leadership valued enough in the civil service?
  • Is Whitehall effective at mobilising its in-house expertise? Is it still too hierarchical and process led?
  • What experience and skills does today’s civil service need?
  • Does the civil service import the most appropriate techniques from the public, private & voluntary sector? How do we encourage more fluidity?

Organisation and Structure

  • Is Whitehall capable of effective joined-up-government?
  • Is Whitehall’s departmental structure useful and relevant? Or do we need to remodel Whitehall so that it can perform its functions more effectively?
  • What should be the relationship between the centre and departments?
  • Is the UK centre too weak?

Components and Methodology

This 3 stage project will draw on desk-based research, semi-structured interviews with key experts and stakeholders, and seminars. A series of research papers will

Stage 1 - Understanding the Problem: Identifying what is broken and why

Stage 1 of the project will critically assess the way in which the civil service works. It will identify the parts of the service that are ‘broken’ and understand why this is so. We will:

●Conduct desk-based research and review the literature on the civil service and civil service reform

●Carry out a series of semi-structured interviews with senior officials, ministers and other experts

●Use a series of case studies to analyse the way the civil service works

●Hold an expert seminar at ippr aimed at establishing a consensus on reform priorities

Stage 2 – International Lessons for the UK

In Stage 2 a comparative survey of international administrative systems will be conducted. This is intended to highlight relevant lessons for reform in the UK, and also to enable us to better understanding how the politics of reform is best managed. We will also look to the new devolved administrations and local government to see if they are doing anything significantly different or better than Whitehall. Providing an international perspective is central to this project. Too often previous research has failed to appreciate the importance of using international experience to inform UK debates.[1] We will:

●Survey international administrative systems through desk-based research

●Commission a comparative research paper on international experiences

●Hold a second seminar focusing on international lessons for the UK civil service with overseas experts

●Publish a report on International Lessons for the UK

An initial list of international systems we will want to explore are set out below in Appendix A, though it should be noted that in light of our research findings from Stage 1 we may choose to look at other more appropriate countries:

Stage 3 – Rethinking the Civil Service: A programme for reform

In Stage 3 we will develop our recommendations and conclusions. We will:

●Draw up draft policy proposals and circulate them to experts and officials for external review

●Finalise our conclusions which will take two forms: First, we will identify what we see to be the key issues facing the civil service, outlining, in broad terms the best way forward;

●Secondly, we will recommend a series of specific and practical reforms and how the process of reform should be achieved

Why ippr?

ippr has strong track record in the field of civil service reform. ippr reports with direct relevance include, Remodelling Whitehall (2001), Ministers and Mandarins (1994), What Next? Agencies, Departments and the Civil Service (1991) and The Constitution of the United Kingdom (1991). Our work on Devolution (Devolution in Practice, 2002) and regional policy (A New Regional Policy for the UK, 2003) also relate to this area. Moreover, ippr’s research covers a wide range of policy areas, which has enabled it to build up an expertise of the workings of Whitehall and the civil service.

Contact

If you would like to know more about this project the please email Guy Lodge, , or call him on 020 7470 6163.

[1] See for instance the research from the five-year ESRC Whitehall Programme, which was criticised for the absence of comparative work.