Research and analysis
We examine the questions that matter most for effective government.
Explore our research and analysis
Firm direction
Kids Company and ministerial directions.
Not child’s play
What does the Kid’s Company case tell us about government’s relations with the third sector?
Writing wrongs? Ministerial correspondence under the Coalition.
Joe Randall looks at the latest data on ministerial correspondence and assesses how government departments and their arm's-length bodies are doing.
Staff reductions on the horizon: charting civil service staff numbers
Gavin Freeguard on the challenges of charting multiple government departments.
Regulatory policy scrutiny: independent advice to government
RPC Chair Michael Gibbons CBE reflects on the RPC’s impact to date and where it needs to go next.
Academy chains in a tangle
The Department for Education has five questions to answer to justify more academies.
Shrinking Whitehall
Will departmental mergers actually save money?
Behavioural economics: an insight into the future of policy making?
Ashley Hibben reflects on how behavioural economics could influence policy making in the future.
George Young
George Young reflects on his time in government for the Institute for Government’s Ministers Reflect project.
Eight ways to improve the Work Programme
Tom Gash believes it can improve.