Ministers Reflect: What is it really like leading a government department?

Ministers Reflect interviews show us what governing looks like from the inside. They offer a range of perspectives on what being a minister actually involves on a day-to-day basis, the different aspects of the job, and how ministers develop their approach to the role over time.

To explore ministerial life and what the archive reveals about it, we were joined by Leighton Andrews, Professor of Practice in Public Service Leadership at Cardiff University, and a former Minister for Education and Minister for Public Services in the Welsh government. Leighton not only uses Ministers Reflect interviews in his teaching about government and policy making, but is also drawing on the archive in a forthcoming book about ministerial leadership.

Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government

This event was part of the IfG's Ministers Reflect one-day conference.

Welcome and What is the reality of being a minister?

One of the most common themes in Ministers Reflect interviews is the relationship between ministers and civil servants. From the importance of a good private office team, to civil servants’ poor understanding of parliament, to ongoing gripes around spelling and grammar, there are many things that ministers wish the civil service did differently.

To discuss how the civil service can use Ministers Reflect to understand what ministers want, and how they can improve the support they offer, we were joined by:

Chloe Smith MP, MP for Norwich North, and former minister at Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; Department for Work and Pensions; and Cabinet Office.
Dame Una O’Brien DCB, former Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care (then Department of Health)
Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government

This event was chaired by Dr Catherine Haddon, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG's Ministers Reflect one-day conference.

How can the civil service work effectively with ministers?

The Ministers Reflect archive is a unique source for those outside government too. The interviews provide a rich, publicly available seam of material for academics interested in UK government, politics and policy making. Several researchers are already interrogating the archive in a variety of ways – from using textual analysis to explore ministerial leadership styles, to qualitative comparisons examining different approaches to specific ministerial roles.

To discuss how they have used Ministers Reflect interviews in their work and what they have found, we were joined by:

Professor John Boswell, Associate Professor in Politics at the University of Southampton
Dr Jessica Smith, Lecturer in Politics with Quantitative Methods at the University of Edinburgh
Dr Orly Siow, Associate Senior Lecturer in Gender Studies at Lund University

This event was chaired by Dr Alice Lilly, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG's Ministers Reflect one-day conference.

What can academics learn from Ministers Reflect?

The Institute’s Ministers Reflect project includes several interviews with former ministers in the devolved governments in the UK, and the model of long-form interviews with former ministers has been exported to a number of countries around the world. Of course, the political and cultural contexts differ, and the ease of access to former ministers varies between these countries. But there are many similarities between the experiences of ministers and the challenges they face in leading officials, passing legislation and getting things done in government.

To discuss how ministers’ roles vary around the UK and around the world, and how Ministers Reflect-style interviews can inform our understanding of government, we were joined by:

Professor Caspar van den Berg, Chair in Global and Local Governance at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and member of the Dutch Senate
Dr Hans Gutbrod, Associate Professor of Public Policy at Ilia State University in Georgia
Akash Paun, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
Dr Catherine Haddon, Programme Director at the Institute for Government

This event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG's Ministers Reflect one-day conference.

Ministers Reflect around the world: how do ministers’ roles in different governments compare?

The Ministers Reflect archive includes interviews with ministers who have served under every prime minister between Margaret Thatcher and Liz Truss. They all faced their own challenges and had to deal with the problems of the era in which they served in government,  but there is much that unites their experience of holding ministerial office. 

So what does it mean to be a minister? What are the most important skills and attitudes for success? How has the role changed over recent years, and between different governments? And what can future ministers learn from their predecessors?  

Tim Durrant, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
Dame Angela Eagle MP, Labour MP for Wallasey and member of the Treasury Select Committee
Marie Le Conte, journalist and author
Ann Francke, Chief Executive of the Chartered Management Institute

This event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Director of the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG's Ministers Reflect one-day conference.

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