Working to make government more effective

Working to make government more effective

A sign outside the Covid Inquiry hearing. Photos of those who passed in the pandemic are hung on the railings
Project

Public inquiries

Our work explores how inquiries are established and managed – and how these processes can be improved to ensure they serve the public interest.

Public inquiries are launched to investigate matters of the highest public concern – from major policy failures to crises that shake public trust. They are a vital tool for accountability, yet they are increasingly criticised for taking too long, costing too much, and too often repeating past recommendations without delivering real change.

Our research explores how inquiries are established and managed – and how these processes can be improved to ensure they genuinely serve the public interest.

You can read our reports, comments and explainers, watch our events, and listen to our podcasts to learn more about what makes inquiries effective and how they can be improved to restore confidence in public accountability.

What is a public inquiry

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How can the government ensure inquiries are set up to succeed?

Early decisions can set inquiries off on the wrong path.

read the report
Early decisions can set inquiries off on the wrong path.

Reforming public inquiries

The Covid-19 Inquiry

The Post Office Inquiry

Public accountability

How should the government implement the lessons of the Covid Inquiry?

Join us to discuss the lessons from the second Covid Inquiry report and what it means for how future governments approach crisis management.

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A sign outside the Covid Inquiry hearing. Photos of those who passed in the pandemic are hung on the railings

Our public inquiries team

Topic
Parliament and the constitution Policy making Coronavirus
Keywords
Public inquiries Accountability Government transparency
Publisher
Institute for Government

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