An in conversation with Rt Hon Michael Gove, Editor of the The Spectator and former Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and Dr Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government. 

This event was part of the IfG's public services conference, kindly supported by UCL.

In conversation with Rt Hon Michael Gove

The IfG team presented new analysis on the likely impact of the budget on public services performance. They also discussed the key questions facing the government ahead of the spending review, including widespread poor performance and record backlogs, tight funding settlements, industrial disputes, crumbling buildings, recruitment and retention problems, and resilience for future crises. 

Stuart Hoddinott, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government
Philip Nye, Senior Data Scientist at the Institute for Government
Cassia Rowland, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government

This session was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG's public services conference, kindly supported by UCL.

The IfG Expert Briefing: What next for public services?

How can NHS backlogs be tackled and waiting times improved? What are the prospects for adult social care reform in this parliament? How can government ensure health and care services have sufficient workforces? Do health and care services have sufficient funding and is existing funding used effectively? To what extent can and should health services focus more on prevention? And to what extent do the government’s proposals address these challenges?

Dr Becks Fisher, Director of Research and Policy at Nuffield Trust
Professor Naomi Fulop, Professor of Health Care Organisation and Management at the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care 
Preet Gill MP, former Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
Dame Una O'Brien, former Permanent Secretary in the Department of Health 

This session was chaired by Stuart Hoddinott, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG's public services conference, kindly supported by UCL.

Reform or repair? What next for health and social care?

The new government faces an extremely challenging inheritance in the criminal justice system. How can trust in the police and charging rates be improved? How can criminal court backlogs be tackled? How can government improve conditions and capacity in prisons? How can individual criminal justice services work together more effectively? And does the new government have a plan to address these challenges?

Dr Karen Schucan Bird, Associate Professor at the UCL Social Research Institute
Penelope Gibbs, Director of Transform Justice 
Lord Timpson OBE, Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending

This session was chaired by Cassia Rowland, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG's public services conference, kindly supported by UCL.

The criminal justice system: Is there a way to fix it?

Dissatisfaction with public services was a key reason for the Conservative defeat in the general election. How can the new party leader and frontbench regain public trust for running public services? What are the key elements of a distinctive Conservative vision for public services? How should the Conservative Party balance demands for higher public service spending and lower taxation? 

Steve Brine, former Chair of Health and Social Care Committee
Rt Hon David Gauke, former Secretary of State for Justice
Rt Hon Baroness Nicky Morgan, former Secretary of State for Education

This session was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG's public services conference, kindly supported by UCL.

A view from the opposition: What should the Conservative Party’s vision for public services be?

On 30 October, the new government announced spending plans for 2025/26, with a spending review covering 2025/26 to 2027/28 due to be published in the spring. What are the implications of these spending plans for public service performance in 2025/26? What options should the spending review consider for raising revenue and boosting productivity? How can the government improve public services when funding is tight?

Rupert Harrison, former Chief of Staff to George Osborne and Chair of the UK’s Council of Economic Advisors (2010–15)
Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies
Professor Henrietta Moore, Founder and Director of the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity
Rachel Sylvester, political columnist at The Times and Chair of the Times Health Commission 

This session will be chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG's public services conference, kindly supported by UCL.

Funding public services: What do spending plans mean for performance?

An in conversation with Lord Blunkett, former Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Education and Employment, and Emma Norris, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG's public services conference, kindly supported by UCL.

In conversation with Lord Blunkett

The Labour government has inherited an NHS in crisis. Pre-existing challenges of growing demand, an ageing population, and high levels of staff vacancies have been exacerbated by the pandemic, resulting in record backlogs and waiting times.

With substantial increases in hospital funding and staffing failing to turn performance round, the new government must help the NHS through the immediate crisis, set it on a sustainable long-term footing and consider the need for more fundamental reform.

Should the NHS focus more on preventing, rather than treating, illness? Could the NHS become more local? Are the new Integrated Care Systems working or should they be reformed? How successful have past NHS reforms been?

To answer these questions and more we were joined by an expert panel, including:

Paul Corrigan, Expert adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care
Penny Dash, Chair of NHS North West London Integrated Care Board
Rachel Wolf, Founding Partner at Public First
Thomas Cawston, Corporate Affairs Lead at Novartis UK

The event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

This event was kindly supported by Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK.

What kind of reform does the NHS need?

I used Notebook LM to create my essay into an AI podcast.

Summary
This research explores how agentic AI can improve access to government services, particularly for individuals with cognitive challenges. Employing a mixed-methods approach—including interviews and user journey mapping—the study identified key difficulties users face navigating complex systems, such as fragmented information and inefficient processes. A proposed solution framework introduces an AI assistant offering personalized guidance, streamlined information gathering, and real-time support while addressing ethical considerations such as data privacy and bias mitigation. The research concludes that carefully designed AI has significant potential to empower vulnerable populations by simplifying complex interactions with government services.

How migth Agentic AI support users of Government Services?

Episode Summary
This week we’re looking at how to improve public services. How can bureaucracies best be managed to deliver positive outcomes? Does compliance get in the way of building trust between citizens and governments?

Episode Notes
The state of public services is a pressing issue both in the UK and globally. News headlines are frequently dominated by stories of chronic failures and acute crises. In response, politicians often propose solutions involving more targets, tighter rules, and increased oversight. When confronted with challenges, their instinct is often to exert more control.

A new book challenges this approach, suggesting that such responses may (at least in some cases) be counterproductive. It argues that bureaucrats can often perform at their best when they are trusted with greater autonomy, encouraged to develop and apply their own expertise, and supported in collaborating with colleagues toward a shared mission. Despite this, the book acknowledges that managing for empowerment comes with significant challenges.

The book, Mission Driven Bureaucrats, is written by Dr. Dan Honig, Associate Professor of Public Policy in the UCL Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy, who joins us on the podcast today.
 
Mentioned in this episode:

Mission Driven Bureaucrats. Empowering People To Help Government Do Better, by Dan honig

UCL’s Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy offers a uniquely stimulating environment for the study of all fields of politics, including international relations, political theory, human rights, public policy-making and administration. The Department is recognised for its world-class research and policy impact, ranking among the top departments in the UK on both the 2021 Research Excellence Framework and the latest Guardian rankings.

Show Contributors
Dan Honig
Alan Renwick

Transcript link:
https://ucl-uncovering-politics.simplecast.com/episodes/mission-driven-bureaucrats/transcript

Mission-Driven Bureaucrats

The leading think tank working to make UK government more effective. 

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New tracks tagged #public services