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Outsiders in Whitehall

Outsiders in Whitehall. William Solesbury (and Ruth Levitt) (2005). Seven transformations of the civil service (Blair 2004). A smaller, strategic centre Professional and specialist skills Interchange between the civil service and public, private and voluntary sectors

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Outsiders in Whitehall

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  1. Outsiders in Whitehall William Solesbury (and Ruth Levitt) (2005)

  2. Seven transformations of the civil service (Blair 2004) • A smaller, strategic centre • Professional and specialist skills • Interchange between the civil service and public, private and voluntary sectors • More rapid promotion and an end to tenure for senior posts • Stronger leadership in management and project delivery • More innovative approaches to policy • Government organised around problems, not problems around government

  3. Professionals in disciplines eg medicine, science, economics Professionals in corporate functions eg HR, IT, finance Top posts – Grades 1 and 2 Policy experts/advisers eg health, crime, faith Secondees eg from NHS, LG, police Special advisers Tsars or ‘trouble shooters’ Chairs and members of standing advisory committees Independent reviewers eg policy pay, procurement, high street shops Non-execs on departmental boards Contracted researchers and consultants Outsiders’ routes into Whitehall

  4. Research questions • What are the reasons for more outsiders in Whitehall? • What expertise do they bring? • Do they operate differently from insiders? • Do they help create more evidence-informed policy?

  5. Research methods • Documentation of outsiders, their previous careers and present roles • Confidential interviews with outsiders and some insider colleagues • Seminar with Whitehall watchers

  6. Finding 1: the rationales Bringing in new expertise to • address novel policy objectives • improve policy delivery • provide alternative advice • strengthen departmental credibility • encourage cross-departmentalism

  7. Finding 2: the nature of expertise

  8. Finding 3: Modi operandi • Induction and support • Autonomy • Challenge

  9. Finding 4: Impacts? Success factors • patronage • teamwork • critical mass

  10. New research on ‘Tsars’ – the new experts

  11. Want to know more? Outsiders in Whitehall, Ruth Levitt and William Solesbury, Public Money and Management, 26, 1, 2006 Evidence-informed policy: what difference do outsiders in Whitehall make? Working Paper 23, Ruth Levitt and William Solesbury, 2005 downloadable from www.evidencenetwork.org. Email: wsolesbury@talktalk.net

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