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Revolutionising government art starts with white paper

There has been much speculation about the forthcoming Open Public Services White Paper. Will it ever be published?

There has been much speculation about the forthcoming Open Public Services White Paper. Will it ever be published? How radical and useful will it be? Will it be a post-event rationalisation of existing reforms or a will it set the direction for future public service reforms?

One aspect of the White Paper has received less speculation. Namely, which of the government’s artistic traditions will it seek to emulate? The strategic tradition The creators of the White Paper could look to the strategic tradition. Excellence and Fairness led this movement. Its strategic triangle graphically represented how the different elements of government strategy interlocked with one another. With a new twist on the strategic triangle – the strategic circle – the Liberating the NHS serves to remind us that we are currently living through a neo-strategic renaissance. It’s sometimes hard to pin down the zeitgeist of the strategic tradition. But it’s hard not to admire the holistic ambitions of these early crusaders. Got a question about how to achieve public service reform? All answers in a framework please.

 

The cartographic tradition A contemporary of the strategic movement was the cartographic tradition. Rejecting the holistic principles of their strategic contemporaries, the cartographic tradition sought a more linear approach to representing their subject. As demonstrated in Strong and Prosperous Communities, the cartographic tradition sought to map the different routes that could be taken to solving the problem. If the architects of the White Paper want to follow this tradition, they would be wise to remember that all roads lead to public service reform.

 

The Sim City movement There is a new craze which is currently taking the government art world by storm. I am of course referring to the Sim City movement. As skilfully demonstrated by The Natural Choice whitepaper, this movement seeks to bring to life government policy by graphically demonstrating its effect on everyday life. This is just the beginning as technology promises us further revolutions in government art. Fans of the strategic and cartographic traditions may be afraid, but those of us who are supporters wait with baited breath to see if the Open Public Services White Paper joins the revolution. The government should be proud of such a diverse and dynamic cultural heritage. We wait in anticipation for the White Paper for an insight into the future direction of government art.

Image from Defra: The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature

Keywords
Public sector
Publisher
Institute for Government

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