IfG in the news

2nd February 2012

Government Needs To Make 'Fundamental Changes' To Meet Spending Challenge, Says NAO

Government departments need to make "fundamental changes" to successfully cut spending by 2015, spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned.

Source: The Huffington Post

23rd January 2012

Will LSE's growth commission make a difference?

Former US Treasury secretary Larry Summers and current OBR (and ex-MPC) member Steve Nickell have given evidence

Source: The Guardian Economics Blog

9th January 2012

Carry on policy-making: the case for change in Whitehall

Successful policies will need greater change in Whitehall: David Walker urges the Institute for Government to keep stacking up the ammunition

Source: The Guardian

9th January 2012

Learning lessons from history proves to be the best policy

History is littered with the failures of cherished government policies...The failures make media headlines. Lessons are drawn from them by academics and by the National Audit Office...Far less attention is paid to the successes. But they do exist.

Source: FT.com (subscription required)

20th December 2011

Who is taking the biggest hit from grim public sector job stats?

The latest employment figures from the Office of National Statistics make grim reading for all those working in and with the public sector...But which sections of the public sector are facing the worst of the cuts?

Source: The Guardian

Meet the IfG's transitions and hung parliament experts

Following the inconclusive election result, the Institute for Government's (IfG's) team has been busy helping the media, Civil Service and The City understand the process and constitutional implications.

Over the past few months, our team has held background briefings on hung parliaments for the BBC, Sky, ITN and Foreign Press Association.

They have also provided commentary on numerous television and radio programmes, and in the press.

	Dr. Catherine Haddon Catherine is a professional historian, who with Peter Riddell co-authored the Institute’s publication Transitions - Preparing for changes of Government (PDF, 3.3MB) and has been instrumental in helping the Civil Service understand the importance of preparation for a hung parliament. She has also contributed articles to Civil Service World and Total Politics, and co-authored Making Minority Government Work (PDF, 3.3MB) with Robert Hazell and Akash Paun.
	Dr David Halpern David is the Institute for Government's Director of Research and was responsible for its original blueprint. He has published widely, including the books Options for a New Britain and Hidden Wealth of Nations. He has explained the implications of hung parliaments and minority government on BBC News, Sky News and ITV's This Morning.
	Prof. Robert Hazell Robert is Professor of Government and the Constitution at the UCL and director of its Constitution Unit, and is working closely with the Institute for Government. He advises all the political parties and the Civil Service, helping them understand and prepare for a minority government. Robert wrote Making Minority Government Work (PDF, 3.3MB) with the IfG's Akash Paun and Catherine Haddon, and has appeared for the Institute on BBC News, The Campaign Show and Daily Politics.
	Peter Riddell Peter is a regular broadcaster who has worked for The Times since 1991 and is currently their Chief Political Commentator. He has appeared on behalf of the Institute on BBC News, Daily Politics and the Radio 4 Today Programme. Peter was instrumental in helping the Civil Service understand the importance of preparation for a hung parliament and is an expert on transitions.
	Akash Paun Akash is a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government, and an expert in constitutional policy, devolution and parliament. He was co-author of Making Minority Government Work (PDF, 3.3MB), the Institute’s report on minority governments and the implications for Whitehall and Westminster of a hung parliament. Akash has authored articles on hung parliaments and minority governments for The Guardian, Political Quarterly, Total Politics and Public Finance.

If you require the expertise of our team please contact Nadine Smith, Head of Communications at the Institute for Government, on 0207 747 0433 or at nadine.smith@instituteforgovernment.org.uk.