Achieving accountable government
PASC support for the creation of a single Public Services Ombudsman for England is welcome and timely
The Public Administration Select Committee this week released a report that proposes significant changes to the Ombudsman service in the UK. Crucially, the report argues for the creation of a single Public Services Ombudsman for England. Jane Tinkler outlines why this reform would better for individual citizens, better for improving services, and would bring about a more […]
NHS Citizen is seeking to deliver engagement processes that meet the needs of policy-makers as well as ensuring the public’s views are heard
Designing public engagement processes and institutions from the perspective of citizens alone makes them easy for policy makers to ignore, argues Simon Burall. He suggests we need to pay more attention to the needs of those making policy in order to design public engagement processes which make a difference, and outlines the development of the […]
Professor Archie Brown on the ‘dangerous myth’ of the strong leader
In politics, it is generally seen as a good thing to be considered a ‘strong leader’, with Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher often used as examples of the dovetailing of strength, electoral success, and policy achievement. But is this necessarily the case? In a new book, ‘The Myth of the Strong Leader‘, Archie Brown argues that […]
20 things we learned about democracy in April 2014
April 2014 is thought to be the most democratic month in human history, owing largely to the Indian general election taking place this month. In the UK, however, democracy wasn’t shown in its best light, with Culture Secretary Maria Miller resigning over her expenses, while Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage held a rather ill-tempered debate […]
After the government’s reforms, local authorities now have less capacity to detect and investigate instances of misconduct in public life
With the abolition of the Audit Commission and Standards Board, the government has radically reformed the monitoring and investigation of ethical standards in local government. Alan Doig discusses these changes and sets them in a wider context of reform, for instance the changing relationships between councils, the police and the NHS. He argues that the lack […]
In a free society the purpose of mass surveillance should be to protect the way we live
Surveillance is not an end in itself. It has a purpose. In a free society the purpose of surveillance should be to protect the way we live, including our privacy, our liberty, and our democracy; and to frustrate those that want to take these things away. But mass surveillance that infringes on privacy and liberty […]
Throwing the rascals out is tricky, but not impossible
It is a commonly understood feature of democratic political systems that under-performing governments tend to be ejected by voters in favour of the most palatable alternative, but is that really the case? Catherine E. de Vries, drawing on new research, argues that voter sophistication and issue salience each play a key role, concluding that incumbent governments can expect […]
Outsourcing companies are taxpayer funded but are only rarely submitted to the scrutiny of Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information Act was introduced in 2000 has made certain Government information available to those members of the public who ask for it. Due to the increased drive towards outsourcing government services to private companies, there is a concern that huge swathes of Government work are now beyond the reach of FOI. While […]
The Maria Miller imbroglio shows that the MPs expenses system is beset by complexity and political meddling
The Culture Secretary Maria Miller has resigned following a controversy over her expenses. She is the latest in a series of politicians to brought to heel over expenses since 2009, when the original scandal was triggered by the Daily Telegraph’s investigations into exactly what MPs were claiming for. Ben Worthy argues that the Miller imbroglio illustrates that the system is currently beset […]
Interview: Ken Clarke on Western democracy, the press, and the longevity of our political leaders
In advance of a talk to the LSE Alumni Society, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer and current Minister without Portfolio Ken Clarke spoke to Democratic Audit’s Sean Kippin about where democracy, the press, and our public discourse have gone wrong. Similar PostsInterview: Shauneen Furlong on Canada’s slide from digital government pre-eminenceInterview part 2: Tim Bale on Ed Miliband’s […]
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