Shrinking the state: reforming arm's length bodies in an age of austerity
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: INLOGOV
Abstract
Calls for a 'bonfire of the quangos' regularly appear on the political agenda in the UK, but often fail to deliver significant reforms. Now, however, the Coalition Government is making a sustained attempt to reform these 'arm's length bodies' that make decisions and deliver public services independently of ministers, an issue tackled previously by the Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly Government.
Behind the heat of the debate lie important issues for democratic accountability, efficiency and organisation in the British state. These are especially important in the context of current economic, financial and policy challenges, deficit reduction and the ambition to shift greater responsibility for public provision to citizens and voluntary organisations.
The current debate about arm's length bodies in the UK raises a number of important questions for policy makers and academic researchers:
1. Why have arm's length bodies been so durable in the face of political and public hostility?
2. Why is reform now possible, and is this a distinctly UK phenomenon?
3. How is the durability and reform of arm's length bodies affected by a climate of austerity?
4. What are the consequences of reforming arm's length bodies for ministers, Parliament, civil servants and those organisations and individuals who use their services?
5. Are there other ways in which delegation of executive or advisory authority to independent bodies might be designed, and what can developments internationally and at local level teach us?
Our research will track the development and implementation of the Coalition Government's reform of arm's length bodies and compare this with developments within the devolved administration in the UK, at local level, and internationally. It will consider the legal, constitutional and administrative issues involved, but also the broader politics involved in reshaping and shrinking the state.
The research has five distinctive features:
1. It will bring together leading scholars who have employed different but complementary approaches in prior ALB research to develop new theory to explain agency design in the Westminster system in comparative perspective.
2. It has been developed, and will work closely, with partners in the policy community, especially the House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee, Public Chairs' Forum, Local Government Information Unit, and Association of Chief Executives.
3. It will employ advanced quantitative and qualitative techniques in a unique and powerful mixed methods design, not previously employed in this field.
4. It will overcome the single-nation, national level bias in studies of ALBs through the integration of cross-national and multi-level data. This will promote knowledge exchange with policy communities and add to the impact of the research.
5. It will stimulate an international dialogue among scholars concerned with the democratic challenges of institutional design for policy achievement.
Behind the heat of the debate lie important issues for democratic accountability, efficiency and organisation in the British state. These are especially important in the context of current economic, financial and policy challenges, deficit reduction and the ambition to shift greater responsibility for public provision to citizens and voluntary organisations.
The current debate about arm's length bodies in the UK raises a number of important questions for policy makers and academic researchers:
1. Why have arm's length bodies been so durable in the face of political and public hostility?
2. Why is reform now possible, and is this a distinctly UK phenomenon?
3. How is the durability and reform of arm's length bodies affected by a climate of austerity?
4. What are the consequences of reforming arm's length bodies for ministers, Parliament, civil servants and those organisations and individuals who use their services?
5. Are there other ways in which delegation of executive or advisory authority to independent bodies might be designed, and what can developments internationally and at local level teach us?
Our research will track the development and implementation of the Coalition Government's reform of arm's length bodies and compare this with developments within the devolved administration in the UK, at local level, and internationally. It will consider the legal, constitutional and administrative issues involved, but also the broader politics involved in reshaping and shrinking the state.
The research has five distinctive features:
1. It will bring together leading scholars who have employed different but complementary approaches in prior ALB research to develop new theory to explain agency design in the Westminster system in comparative perspective.
2. It has been developed, and will work closely, with partners in the policy community, especially the House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee, Public Chairs' Forum, Local Government Information Unit, and Association of Chief Executives.
3. It will employ advanced quantitative and qualitative techniques in a unique and powerful mixed methods design, not previously employed in this field.
4. It will overcome the single-nation, national level bias in studies of ALBs through the integration of cross-national and multi-level data. This will promote knowledge exchange with policy communities and add to the impact of the research.
5. It will stimulate an international dialogue among scholars concerned with the democratic challenges of institutional design for policy achievement.
Planned Impact
The project will have an impact that combines breadth and depth and which engages both specialists and the public.
Practitioner Impact: The project is closely connected to the policy community, in particular through the Public Chairs Forum, Institute for Government, Local Government Information Unit, Association of Chief Executives, and the Public Administration Select Committee in the House of Commons. Members of the project team will offer talks at events hosted by specific policy beneficiaries, evidence to investigations/inquiries they undertake, and data, advice and input into their policy reports. Policy partners will act as intermediaries, facilitating knowledge exchange between the researchers and more diffuse audiences, including MPs, civil servants, and interest groups. Annual policy reports produced in cooperation with the policy partners will document and comment on progress in reform of arm's length bodies. Towards the end of the research a number of small roundtable events will be arranged on a range of topics, hosted by the Institute for Government, in order to disseminate and explain the implications of this study. Policy outputs will be directed at professional journals (Skelcher has written for such journals on basis previous ESRC research).
Public Impact: The researchers, with assistance of their universities' media teams, will write and place a number of articles in popular magazines and newspapers. Flinders has written for The Times and The Guardian on the challenges of public policy reform and he has also written and presented programmes for BBC Radio 4. The existing relationships will be utilised in order to promote this research far beyond the normal boundaries and reach out to a new audience. The findings of Flinders' last ESRC grant (Patronage, Governance and Reform) is now the topic of a proposal that is being considered by the BBC in the current commissioning round. This will be supported by the documents and papers that will be available from the project website and also through the lectures and seminars that members of the project team will offer to a range of organisations.
UK Social Science Research Base Impact: The project will host capacity building workshops for the social science community (see 'academic beneficiaries' section). This project will also facilitate the development and training of four new entrants to the social science community. The two post-docs and two attached doctoral researchers will form part of a tight, ambitious and internationally-oriented research team that is willing to challenge established assumptions and reach out to new audiences. The aim would be to develop the post-docs in terms of their professional skills and academic knowledge so that by the end of the project they would be in a position to launch self-standing research careers. The aim with the doctoral students would not simply be to produce completed PhDs, but to produce individuals with a breadth of knowledge that allows them to span a range of theories, methods and approaches while also forging relationships between academe and the practical world of day-to-day public administration.
Teaching Impact: This application is primarily aimed at making a distinctive contribution to knowledge and this will, in turn, allow the project to make a significant contribution in terms of teaching. Short mini-lectures on the project will be posted on youtube/project website by the project team, a series of accessible position papers and documents will be produced and disseminated through the website, and the project will support the Political Studies Association's new teaching scheme for colleges and schools. Members of the project team (specifically the post-docs) would also be directed to submit teaching related publications to a range of magazines and journals like Politics and Insight.
Practitioner Impact: The project is closely connected to the policy community, in particular through the Public Chairs Forum, Institute for Government, Local Government Information Unit, Association of Chief Executives, and the Public Administration Select Committee in the House of Commons. Members of the project team will offer talks at events hosted by specific policy beneficiaries, evidence to investigations/inquiries they undertake, and data, advice and input into their policy reports. Policy partners will act as intermediaries, facilitating knowledge exchange between the researchers and more diffuse audiences, including MPs, civil servants, and interest groups. Annual policy reports produced in cooperation with the policy partners will document and comment on progress in reform of arm's length bodies. Towards the end of the research a number of small roundtable events will be arranged on a range of topics, hosted by the Institute for Government, in order to disseminate and explain the implications of this study. Policy outputs will be directed at professional journals (Skelcher has written for such journals on basis previous ESRC research).
Public Impact: The researchers, with assistance of their universities' media teams, will write and place a number of articles in popular magazines and newspapers. Flinders has written for The Times and The Guardian on the challenges of public policy reform and he has also written and presented programmes for BBC Radio 4. The existing relationships will be utilised in order to promote this research far beyond the normal boundaries and reach out to a new audience. The findings of Flinders' last ESRC grant (Patronage, Governance and Reform) is now the topic of a proposal that is being considered by the BBC in the current commissioning round. This will be supported by the documents and papers that will be available from the project website and also through the lectures and seminars that members of the project team will offer to a range of organisations.
UK Social Science Research Base Impact: The project will host capacity building workshops for the social science community (see 'academic beneficiaries' section). This project will also facilitate the development and training of four new entrants to the social science community. The two post-docs and two attached doctoral researchers will form part of a tight, ambitious and internationally-oriented research team that is willing to challenge established assumptions and reach out to new audiences. The aim would be to develop the post-docs in terms of their professional skills and academic knowledge so that by the end of the project they would be in a position to launch self-standing research careers. The aim with the doctoral students would not simply be to produce completed PhDs, but to produce individuals with a breadth of knowledge that allows them to span a range of theories, methods and approaches while also forging relationships between academe and the practical world of day-to-day public administration.
Teaching Impact: This application is primarily aimed at making a distinctive contribution to knowledge and this will, in turn, allow the project to make a significant contribution in terms of teaching. Short mini-lectures on the project will be posted on youtube/project website by the project team, a series of accessible position papers and documents will be produced and disseminated through the website, and the project will support the Political Studies Association's new teaching scheme for colleges and schools. Members of the project team (specifically the post-docs) would also be directed to submit teaching related publications to a range of magazines and journals like Politics and Insight.
Organisations
Publications
Anthony M. Bertelli (Author)
Policy conflict and the termination of public bodies
BERTELLI A
(2015)
MEDIA ATTENTION AND THE DEMISE OF AGENCY INDEPENDENCE: EVIDENCE FROM A MASS ADMINISTRATIVE REORGANIZATION IN BRITAIN
in Public Administration
Bertelli A
(2016)
Democratic Accountability and the Politics of Mass Administrative Reorganization
in British Journal of Political Science
Bertelli A
(2015)
Mass Administrative Reorganization, Media Attention, and the Paradox of Information
in Public Administration Review
Chris Skelcher (Co-Author)
ORGANIZATIONS, FUNCTIONS AND SPACES: INSTITUTIONAL LOGICS AND THE CHANGING SHAPE OF ENGLISH GOVERNANCE
Chris Skelcher (Co-Author)
Hybridity and Institutional Logics: Framing a Comparative Study of UK and US Nonprofits
Dommett K
(2014)
Opening the Black Box of Administrative Reform: A Strategic-Relational Analysis of Agency Responses to Termination Threats
in International Public Management Journal
DOMMETT K
(2014)
Did they 'Read Before Burning'? The Coalition and Quangos
in The Political Quarterly
Dommett K
(2015)
The politics of quangocide
in Policy & Politics
DOMMETT K
(2014)
THE CENTRE STRIKES BACK: META-GOVERNANCE, DELEGATION, AND THE CORE EXECUTIVE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, 2010-14
in Public Administration
| Description | We analysed the 2010-2015 Coalition government's reform of 'quangos' - officially, 'public bodies' operating at arm's length to ministers. The Public Bodies Reform programme was the most extensive attempt to restructure arm's-length bodies in a generation. It sought to increase efficiency and accountability. Cost reduction was achieved, some £2.5 billion over the course of the 2010-2015 Parliament, but largely achieved through abolition and merging of the smaller organisations and reclassifying larger ones. On accountability, the government reinstated the annual Public Bodies directory and increased the types of bodies it included. However accountability was not increased in a fundamental or systematic manner. Reinforcing the convention of individual ministerial responsibility fails to accommodate the complexity of the arm's length body landscape. A significant theoretical contribution was to develop the idea of 'meta-governance' (i.e. the governance of governance) and apply this to the problem of managing the tension between the centrifugal pressure for increased ministerial accountable in the Public Bodies Reform policy and the centripetal force for outsourcing which is driven by the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. It revealed that Government lacks an overall approach to thinking about the management and accountability issues arising from the different forms of arm's length relationships and countervailing pressures. We contributed new insights on agency reform in two ways. First, we revisited Hood's influential work, The politics of quangocide. Using theoretical innovation and fresh empirical research, we found that the Coalition had not simply engaged in quangocide, but had adopted a dual-track strategy based upon 'bureau-shuffling' and strengthening internal control. This has significant international and comparative relevance due to the manner in which these findings resonate with broader 'post New Public Management' narratives of state restructuring. Secondly, we challenge conventional explanations of agency survival during administrative reform by showing that agencies are active participants. We identify three archetypical defence strategies-technical expert, network node, and marginal adaptor-and argue that coding agency strategies alongside structural analysis can help better explain reform outcomes. Analysis of the UK's mass reorganisation has enabled us to develop a new theory of agency reform that overcomes the limitations of the existing literature, much of which is inspired by the US case and focuses on the binary decision of whether or not to terminate an agency. We constructed a novel data set and show that high level choices regarding whether or not to remove agency independence then lead to lower level choices about agency organisation and the way in which its functions should be allocated. Each of these choices has important consequences for political accountability. Finally, this project has been able to deliver greater understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of co-production as a methodological approach in the social sciences. The 'politics of co-production' has emerged as an unexpected but valuable contribution of the project with specific insights and lessons for ESRC funded scholars in the future. |
| Exploitation Route | Reform of semi-independent agencies is a feature across the public service internationally. Our findings will be of use to governments and civil servants, as well as to educators and consultants working in this field. They will also add to the small academic literature on this issue. |
| Sectors | Government, Democracy and Justice |
| URL | http://www.shrinkingthestate.org.uk |
| Description | This research into the reform of public bodies by the 2010 Coalition government was co-produced with key stakeholders (notably the Cabinet Office, Public Chairs Forum and Institute for Government). This enabled our research to be infused into the centre of the policy-making process in Whitehall and Westminster. Our project's impact on policy and practice audiences was achieved through various mechanisms. We enhanced stakeholders understanding of the process and outcomes of the reform by delivering research-based presentations to seminars organized by our policy partners. These were attended by civil servants involved in public body reform as well as chairs, board members and senior managers from individual public bodies. Our presentations offered an independent view of the reforms, stimulating debate amongst stakeholders and identification of potential developments. This independent view - as a 'critical friend' - has been central to our ability to retain engagement with key stakeholders and influence the development of policy and practice. We helped shape specific developments in the reform and management of public bodies by undertaking specially commissioned studies to provide in-depth analysis of topics of interest to our partners. These included analyses of the sponsorship arrangements between ministries and public bodies, the effects of the new financial control framework, triennial reviews, and the future role of the Public Chairs Forum. By looking across Whitehall, some studies were able to isolate 'best practice' that could be disseminated more widely, for example in relation to the integration of sponsorship arrangements into a central unit within a ministry or the development of more proportionate forms of triennial review. We informed and influenced the debate within Westminster about ministerial accountability for public bodies. We submitted research-based evidence to parliamentary enquiries, including those initiated by the (then) House of Commons Select Committee on Public Administration and the House of Lords Committee on the Constitution, as well as the National Audit Office study of the financial effects of public body reform. The culmination was the appointment of Prof. Flinders, a member of the research team, as special adviser for the Public Administration Committee's inquiry into the accountability of public bodies in 2014. The Public Administration Committee made considerable use of the team's written and oral evidence in its analysis and recommendations to Government. Finally, we informed the wider debate about and public understanding of 'quangos'. We wrote numerous Blogs and published newspaper articles. Our project web site contained regular updates on the reform process. We also organized an event for 6th form politics students from 4 schools, using the 'Legislate' game designed by the Parliamentary Solicitor's Office which models the legislative process from inception to implementation. A local MP and civil servants involved in public body legislation also contributed to the day. The impact here was the improved understanding and critical analysis of the UK's legislative process by young people reaching voting age. The team also contributed to a similar event organized by the Cabinet Office for schools in London as part of Parliament Week. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
| Sector | Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | Appointments Blog Post |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A Blog post posted on the Democratic Audit Website reacting to recent publicity around Public Body appointments. http://www.democraticaudit.com/?p=3078 http://www.democraticaudit.com/?p=3078 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.democraticaudit.com/?p=3078 |
| Description | Blog Post: 'What a Mess! The Politics and Governance of the British Constitution' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Oxford University Press Blog |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://blog.oup.com/2013/04/british-constitution-politics-governance/ |
| Description | Blog Post: 'What is governance? a response to Francis Fukuyama' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Posted on the Governance Blog |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://governancejournal.net/2013/03/11/flinders-on-what-is-governance/ |
| Description | Case Studies of Public Bodies Reform |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A set of 12 case study papers detailing the reform proces from the perspective of public bodies. Based on documentary analysis and interview data these documents will provide a valuable resource for other academics and students interested in public sector reform. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Comment piece: 'It's too easy to blame the big, bad quangos' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Comment piece for the Yorkshire Post It's too easy to blame the big, bad quangos |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/debate/columnists/katharine-dommett-it-s-too-easy-to-blame-the-b... |
| Description | From Bill to Act: getting legislation through the UK Parliament - Public Bodies Bill |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Invited to speak at an event organised by the Cabinet Office as part of Parliament Week 2013. The Public Bodies Reform team in Cabinet Office, responsible for the first large Bill under a new coalition government, will talk about the highs and lows of supporting this legislation through Parliament, and the ongoing challenge of delivering 44 pieces of secondary legislation and counting with numerous government departments. Speakers will include Lord Taylor of Holbeach, David Willis from the Cabinet Office Constitution Unit, Elizabeth Bull, Cabinet Office lawyer, David Sprackling, Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and Professor Chris Skelcher from Birmingham University. There will also be the opportunity to experience the passage of legislation for yourself by playing the Legislate?! game. This was one of five events organised by the Cabinet Office during Parliamant Week 2013, the first time a government department has participated. About 40 people attended the event. I participated in a panel discussion, enabling me to offer insights from our research, and in the Legislate! game, again providing insights from our project. This was one of five events organised by the Cabinet Office during Parliamant Week 2013, the first time a government department has participated. About 40 people attended the event. I participated in a panel discussion, enabling me to offer insights fro |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Future of the Civil Service |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Guardian Live On-Line Debate Contributed to a live discussion on the future of the civil service with other practitioners. Contributed to a live discussion on the future of the civil service with other practitioners. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Impact Blog Series |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A blog series was organised, following on from the PSA PGR Network panel, focusing on 'why both with impact?' Katherine Tonkiss and Katharine Dommett contributed posts, together with colleagues from the University of Sheffield. Katherine Tonkiss edited the blogs for publication on the INLOGOV blog (www.inlogov.wordpress.com). N/A |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Independence and control in the sponsorship relationship |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A seminar was organised in partnership with the Public Chairs' Forum and the Institute for Government, bringing together Chairs of public bodies and representatives of the Cabinet Office to discuss the implementation and effectiveness of the central government spending controls framework. Discussion focused on the experiences of the controls framework, its implications for the balance between independence and control for public bodies, and options for improving the framework. N/A |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Institute for Government Roundtable on the abolition of the Audit Commission |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Katherine Tonkiss participated in a roundtable event organised by the Institute for Government on the abolition of the Audit Commission and the future of public audit, together with politicians, key stakeholders and other academics. The discussion was included in an Institute for Government publication on the subject. References to research which the project team have completed on the abolition of the Audit Commission were cited in the Institute for Government publication which resulted from this discussion. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Invited Submission of Evidence to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | As part of a consultation on MPs pay and renumeration |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Invited submission of Evidence to Triennial Review of the Committee on Standards in Public Life |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | To the Triennial Review of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, chaired b Rt Hon Peter Riddell |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Just one in ten quangos has been abolished despite the Coalition's promise to wield the axe |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Newspaper coverage of the projects first annual report Daily Mail |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2359772/Just-quangos-abolished-despite-Coalitions-promise-wi... |
| Description | Just one in ten quangos has been abolished despite the Coalition's promise to wield the axe |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Newspaper coverage of the projects first annual report None identifiable |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Memorandum of evidence to PASC enquiry on futrure of civil service |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Evidence was submitted to the PASC inquiry into civil service reform, drawing on the findings of the research. The Civil Service Reform Plan (June 2012) raised a host of questions not just about the future of the civil service but also about the future of the state, the public's expectations and the delivery of accountable public services. Our main points are: a. The hub model of government proposed by the Civil Service Reform Plan potentially involves five types of reform: delegation, floating-off, contracting-out/joint ventures, offloading, and shared services. b. Few of the more radical options were taken during the Public Bodies reform review. c. The five types of reform present feasibility challenges for government. d. There is a tension between the centrifugal forces underlying the civil service reform plan's ambition for improved and more efficient delivery, and the centripetal forces of improved accountability that in part motivated the public bodies review. e. Careful consideration of the sponsorship relationship linking ministers and delivery bodies is necessary to ensure that reform does not lead to an increasingly opaque and fragmented institutional architecture of ever more sophisticated delivery structures. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmpubadm/writev/csr/csr.pdf |
| Description | Oral evidence on The Future of The Civil Service Inquiry |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Held by the House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Oral evidence to the House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Part of the inquiry into 'Do we need a constitutional convention for the United Kingdom? |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Organisational change in advance of legislation : the reform of public bodies and the NHS |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee On The Constitution Our evidence concentrates on the organisational rather than the financial aspects of the Committee's inquiry, drawing on our analysis of the Coalition government's public bodies and NHS reform process.1 We focus on pre-legislative action by government in relation to the proposed closure of the Audit Commission and the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), and proposed reform of NHS commissioning from Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) to GP-led Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). These cases have been selected because (a) they have high political salience for the Coalition government, (b) the proposed reforms have far-reaching implications on the bodies' existence, and (c) they exhibit significant pre-legislative reform activity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Presentation: 'Hyper-Democracy' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presentation to the Labour Group, House of Lords Presentation to the Labour Group in the House of Lords on the Topic of Hyper-Democracy Presentation to the Labour Group in the House of Lords on the Topic of Hyper-Democracy |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Public Bodies Reform and Order-Making under the PBA 2011 Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Cabinet Office Seminar attended by CO and departmental staff tasked with the order making process |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Public Chairs' Forum Seminar on Alternative Models of Service Delivery |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Katherine Tonkiss participated in a seminar discussion with Public Chairs and the Minister for Civil Society (Nick Hurd MP). The focus was on alternative models of service delivery and points from the discussion supported the publication of an article in Public Money and Management, together with Amy Noonan (manager of the Public Chairs' Forum). Discussions held at the event led to the publication of an article on alternative models of service delivery co-authored by Katherine Tonkiss and Amy Noonan (manager of PCF). This was published Public Money and Management. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Public Leaders Network Live Chat Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Online Live Chat on the topic: 'Politicians and public managers: must they always be at loggerheads?' Online Public Chat: Politicians and public managers: must they always be at loggerheads? http://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2013/sep/25/politicians-public-managers-work-together-livechat Online Public Chat: Politicians and public managers: must they always be at loggerheads? http://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2013/sep/25/politicians-public-managers-work-together-livechat |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2013/sep/25/politicians-public-managers-work-toget... |
| Description | Radio Interview: 'The Abolition of Quangos and Should we Believe Political Parties'. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview with 5 live Radio Station |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Spending Controls and Public Bodies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Findings from research into the spending controls framework as it affects arm's length bodies was presented at the cross-Whitehall Controls Working Group. N/A |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | The Accountability of the Civil Service |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Inquiry held by the House of Lords Committee on the Constitution |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | The Accountability of the Civil Service |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Inquiry by the House of Lords Committee on the Constitution |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | The Impact Factor |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A blog on the role of the Research Fellow in delivering impact in research, which was featured on the INLOGOV blog. N/A |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | The Public Bodies Reform Agenda: Challenges and Opportunities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation to ACE conference |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | The coalition government has a turbulent relationship with quangos |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Blog post about the coalition government's relationship with arm's length bodies, in light of comments made by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt regarding the salaries of senior quango officials. N/A |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Transparency a victim in reform of quangos |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Short article providing commentary on the project's first annual report, reviewing the public bodies reform process between May 2010 and May 2013. Public Service Europe |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/article/3759/transparency-a-victim-in-reform-of-quangoes |
| Description | Transparency a victim in reform of quangos |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Short article providing commentary on the project's first annual report, reviewing trhe public bodies reform process between may 2010 and may 2013. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | What's really at stake in the quango cull? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Article in Public Chairs Forum autumn newsletter 2012 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | http://www.publicchairsforum.org.uk/newsletter/nov2012/#feature3 |
| Description | When agency delegations are with/re-drawn: UK public bodies reform 2010-14 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation to international seminar on agency reform hosted by Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Workshop on Impact for PSA PGR Network |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | As part of a conference for post-graduate researchers we organised and delivered a workshop on the theme ' Why bother with Impact' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Written evidence submitted by The Universities of Birmingham and Sheffield |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Written evidence submitted to Public Administration Select Committee of the House of Commons inquiry into the Civil Service Reform Plan N/A |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmpubadm/writev/csr/m1.htmhttp://www.publ... |
| Description | Written evidence to Public Administration Select Committee enquiry into the Accountability of Quangos and Public Bodies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Evidence to PASC inquiry into the accountability of public bodies; including quangos, arms-length bodies, non-ministerial departments and executive agencies. Members of the team were asked to attend the PASC inquiry to give oral evidence. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Written evidence to the House of Common's Political and Constitutional Reform Committee |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Part of the inquiry into 'Do we need a constitutional convention for the United Kingdom?' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |