Senior officials Richard Heaton and Chris Wormald faced a tough time at PAC on Monday over the government's funding of Kids Company. Dan Corry – former head of the Number 10 Policy Unit and now chief executive of New Philanthropy Capital – argues that the charity's good intentions made it easier to avoid questions about effectiveness and decent management

The Equality and Human Rights Commission today launches ‘Is Britain Fairer?’, a comprehensive assessment of Britain’s progress on equality and human rights in the last five years. But, as the EHRC's Verena Brähler writes, a lack of data is preventing public sector bodies from getting the full picture – and could be leaving some groups invisible

While working for the Reform think tank, Richard Harries was asked to carry out a review of the civil service policy profession, speaking to officials, ministers and secretaries of state. He found some were less than impressed with the state of play...

Tax may not be high in the YouTube search history of your average teenager, but HMRC's "Tax Facts" campaign has been described as "cheerful and creative". Maureen Pamplin​, the tax authority's head of sustainability, shares her tips on how departments can engage the public – without dumbing down

Opinion: The need to find new ways of delivering services while resources are tight is the real reason for the new localism push

Whitehall is no stranger to government efficiency drives, but the success of a reform programme depends on the ministers

The FDA general secretary says it’s time to speak up for so-called middle managers, who set the tone for the vast majority of civil servants

Public sector outsourcing has a chequered past, as the 2013 offender tagging scandal demonstrated. But Dr Ian Peters – chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors – says the MoJ's response shows how government departments can make better use of their internal audit teams before embarking on major outsourcing schemes

Natural England's chief executive James Cross reflects on his first year in the job – and says the agency's reforms show environmental protection doesn't have to be at odds with economic growth

The civil service's next HR chief faces a daunting task. Tim Edwards outlines what should be at the top of their ‘to-do’ list

Officials at the sharp end of cuts could be forgiven for feeling cynical about the future of Whitehall – but public service values will endure

Menna Rawlings went from being HR director in a government department to serving as the UK's high commissioner in Australia – not the most obvious career move. But, as she explains, the two roles have more in the common than you might think...

Governments are increasingly seeking to transform their core systems. Andrew Arcuri of the Boston Consulting Group considers how they can move from achieving good results, to truly great ones

The chief of the FDA union warns that Whitehall will miss out on a significant talent pool if under-represented groups do not believe a leadership role in the civil service is for them

Opinion: Without many of the usual checks and balances, policies – especially those approved by the Treasury – can be pushed through without much collective discussion

The latest Open Budget Survey confirms Britain’s commitment to fiscal transparency, writes the LSE’s Dr Joachim Wehner. But the Treasury must go further to enable detailed public scrutiny of departmental spending

With the new cross-government learning contract currently out to tender, Civil Service Learning director Hilary Spencer explains how the system will work in future – and why it will pave the way for better public services 

Opinion: The Spending Review calls for yet more cuts to departmental spending. But at what price?

The forthcoming Spending Review must focus on outcomes and delivery, and also be the springboard for an honest debate about the very nature of our public sector, argues CIPFA's Rob Whiteman

After over a decade in Whitehall – and 12 different roles – Antony Cousins switched officialdom for the fast-paced world of tech start-ups. Here he explains what he has learnt, and why it might be useful for civil servants

Catherine Arnold, Britain's ambassador in Mongolia, on promoting 'Brand GB' in east-central Asia – and why challenging perceptions is so important

Data sharing allows agencies to see the larger picture of potentially at-risk citizens and helps prevent harm, says CGI UK’s Steve Thorn 

What do ministers really think of their officials? We asked Sir Ian McCartney – a former trade minister – to appraise the civil service

Creating a smarter and better government is a priority shared by policymakers the world over – the OECD's Rolf Alter explains how he is helping