Niels Bohr, the Danish physicist reportedly said that “anyone who isn’t shocked by quantum theory has not understood it.” And so it is with the Big Society.

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When I first heard of the plans to set up a new Institute for Government, I did wonder whether we needed another Think Tank or National School of Government. The answer of course is that we don’t, but that there was and still is a niche for something different.

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The latest government cull of Arm’s length bodies (ALBs)  may be different in scale and speed from anything we have seen in the recent past – but there are many useful lessons out there on how to navigate through the minefield.  In particular it pays to learn from those who have already been through...

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Since 5 May pundits have had a field day arguing about whether coalition government can work and the life chances of the current coalition. Reading some commentators, it is almost as though we are now in a brave new world with little precedent.

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The Institute set out its views on fiscal consolidation, alongside the IFS, in a briefing shortly after the election.  A vital element, based on the experience of countries like Canada and Sweden, is securing a public mandate.

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IPSA has had the most controversial first few months of any public body since, say, the Child Support Agency. So Sir Ian Kennedy, its chairman, was inevitably on the defensive when he spoke at the Institute for Government about IPSA’s record and prospects.

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