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Reflections on the Institute for Government's first two years

Lord Bichard shares his personal highlights of his time as Executive Director of the Institute, as he steps down to become a Senior Fellow.

Lord Bichard shares his personal highlights of his time as Executive Director of the Institute, as he steps down to become a Senior Fellow.

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. These first two years have been about defining the niche that the Institute for Government should occupy, whilst producing work which has an impact - whether in the realm of research or development. So, the Institute for Government has sought to demonstrate that it:

  • is non aligned, and apolitical in the best traditions of the British Civil Service so that it can work with all mainstream political parties
  • can be trusted to keep confidences - whether personal or organisational
  • is independent in the sense that its research is objective and free from vested interest
  • expects to be measured by the input it has and the difference it makes - and will therefore work to persuade decision makers to adopt the recommendations of its research
  • will be relevant in that it concentrates on the issues that really concern Whitehall and Westminster
  • must be rooted in experience with enough staff and fellows who have had practical experience of the world of Government to speak with authority
  • focuses on process, structure, systems and organisations rather than policy
  • values and applies international good practice and experience
  • sees no point in replicating the good work of others.

I hope that we have gone some way to realising these ambitions.  I am proud of the reports we have produced - from Performance Art to Shaping Up, to Read before Burning - as well as the outstanding work on transitions and coalitions that proved so timely. I am pleased that we have made a significant contribution at an early stage to managing a fiscal consolidation. I am personally delighted that we played a key part in the development of Total Place and thereby influenced the relationship between central and local government and that we have begun to progress the cause of political learning and development in new ways. All this has been made possible by the quality of our staff and their willingness to commit to an untried organisation and I am very grateful to them for that. In the early days of any organisation, every decision is being made for the first time.  I hope that we have got more right than wrong! Finally I am delighted as I step down as Director to hand over to my good friend Andrew Adonis and to be able to stay involved as a Senior Fellow. The Institute for Government has only just begun its journey and has so much more to contribute to the future of government. Thank you to the many people who have helped me as its founding Director, not least David Sainsbury whose vision made this possible.

Topic
Brexit
Publisher
Institute for Government

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