Rip it up and start again

“There are several utterly predictable moments in any policy discussion”, comments Rachel Wolf, former policy advisor to David Cameron, in a new Institute for Government report on policy reinvention.

1. “Someone experienced and sensible says: ‘And of course, the problem is, we never implement things for long enough. We keep changing policy all the time.’ Everyone will nod their heads and agree – and then immediately carry on advocating the change they want.”
2. “‘Of course, I wouldn’t start from here.’ Again, everyone nods. This is interesting, because ‘here’ is usually the result of proposals from people very like those sitting in the room.”
3. “‘What we need is to change the culture’ (as if culture were a free-floating entity that lands on unsuspecting heads and sticks). This is another way of saying: ‘People aren’t behaving as we’d like them to. What is wrong with them?’”

1. Poor institutional memory. The civil service were described as ‘gifted amateurs’ in 1968, which didn’t go down well. There remains a tension between flexibility and specialisation. In 2012, the Policy Profession called for more Civil Service-wide learning, more external secondments, and more readily available guidance. However, career incentives aren’t always aligned with mastering one policy area - “moving up often means moving on”.
2. The tendency to abolish and recreate organisations as a proxy for demonstrating progress. It’s simply too easy to do this - even if the creation of new departments costs at least £15 million in the first year alone. As for arms-length bodies, it’s time to get parliament involved. Before ordering the letterheaded paper, it should require that a written business case is passed by the Cabinet Office, approved by the relevant select committee, and further scrutinised by the Public Affairs and Constitutional Affairs Select Committees.
3. A centre of government that remains too weak at long-term planning. To address issues that fall between the gaps of departments, No. 10, the Cabinet Office and the Treasury have created their own units. But political impetus comes at the cost of short-term focus and a need for quick results. Australia and Canada use ‘charter’ or ‘mandate’ letters, sent by the prime minister to an incoming secretary of state to set priorities - and the UK tried them in the mid-2000s.
4. A policy development process that is not as resilient as it could be. “Policy announcements should be accompanied by the evidence base that underpins them”, Norris and Adam argue. The the Science and Technology Select Committee and the Education Select Committee already ask Government to show their working. But the real prize is to open up policymaking to experts outside government and citizens. This will “generate a broad coalition for change that will increase the possibility of the policy enduring, even when political interest wanes.”

Quick Reads

Agenda setting. Public bodies are meant to have ‘due regard’ to the impact of their policies on equality. Why didn’t the budget take into account how women are weathering the effects of successive tax and benefit cuts? Democratic Audit UK

Let’s all have dinner. Ministerial teams tend to to get thrown together. Those that bond succeed. Institute for Government

Growth potential. Supporting startups isn’t about adjusting the “table stakes”: cities need to actively build on their strengths. Centre for Public Impact

On task. The Bank of England’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures might help companies think through climate risks, but doesn’t substantially mitigate “the risk of an abrupt and disorderly transition to a low carbon economy”. E3G

The way that you do it. Development should help people adapt, and using process-based interventions like social learning can “help solve complex challenges and improve development outcomes.” International Institute for Environment and Development

Zero control. Unemployment is at its lowest rate in decades, but with more people on zero hour contracts we need to focus on job quality, as well as quantity. New Economics Foundation

A tasty opportunity. Brexit is the chance to position the UK as a leader on high-quality produce. Green Alliance

Reports

Softly softly. The EU is central to German interests. For a better reception in Berlin, Britain needs to show more consideration for its institutions. Centre for European Research

34,500 people are estimated to sleep rough in England each year. Preventative solutions are needed, focussed on housing. Centre for Social Justice

Tread carefully. Western powers should focus on using their economic leverage to nudge the Syrian President. Chatham House

New boots and contracts. New regulations for bailiffs came into force in 2014. But until there’s an independent regulator - and fewer incentives for enforcement action - behaviour won’t improve. Citizens Advice

Doesn’t add up. The new National Funding Formula for schools includes a number of decisions lacking evidence - and most schools will see real term cuts by 2019-20. Education Policy Institute

Under pressure. The financial squeeze on the NHS is being felt ‘under the radar’ - particularly by staff, who are working longer and more intensely to protect care. The King’s Fund

£21,700. The amount needed for a single person living in shared accommodation in inner London to meet a minimum income standard. Trust for London

See also

Twenty Seventeen. The Department for Exiting the EU has been taking lessons from the 2012 London Olympics, says director general Sarah Healey. Civil Service World

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