Vast quantities of information are generated each second, but how can policymakers exploit ‘big data’ to inform their decisions? Ben Willis watched as experts from the worlds of academia, IT and policy tried to make sense of it all

The Olympics Secretariat brought together reps from about 20 government bodies, forming a single team to manage the Games. Tim Fish investigates the complex team established to manage a very complex project.

Tight rules control how troops can engage in combat; but the regime governing how former military figures can sell their skills and contacts to private companies are much weaker. Joshua Chambers assesses the system.

To ensure greater international competitiveness and help boost Britain’s economy in the long term, the Treasury is prioritising investment in infrastructure. Colin Marrs appraises the government’s efforts

Stephen Kelly, the government’s new chief operating officer, is in charge of streamlining processes and pursuing efficiency on Whitehall. Joshua Chambers meets the man bringing business practice to the public sector

As government departments and agencies embrace the use of websites in public service delivery, Joshua Chambers reports on an online debate about the challenges involved in improving Whitehall’s digital skills.

The government is eager to increase the amount of goods and services it buys from small and medium-sized enterprises. Mark Smulian attends a round table on the opportunities, the challenges – and the solutions

While new FDA general secretary Dave Penman is a very different character from his predecessor, he tells Matt Ross, the union remains unchanged – but the government’s ever-tougher line demands a more robust response

In summer 2008, CSW began producing special reports: in-depth investigations based on unique primary research. Here we sketch out five that produced some of our most interesting and newsworthy findings.

A selection of comments on which hindsight offers a new perspective

Matt Mercer, who edited Whitehall & Westminster World from 2004 to 2008, recalls its launch and sketches out the paper’s development from a niche Whitehall periodical to an influential, UK-wide publication

A veteran voluntary sector worker for a Midlands health charity speaks out

A set of interviewees who went on to greater things

Scouring the 5,000,000 words in 200 issues of CSW and its predecessor Whitehall & Westminster World, we’ve picked out the stories that made the news, set the agenda, offered an insight – and revealed something fascinating.

Last year the cabinet secretary’s job was split up, creating three vacancies; and now the third job – that of Cabinet Office permanent secretary – has been filled. Joshua Chambers interviews Richard Heaton

While spending budgets are slashed and taxes rise, the government is owed nearly £25bn by UK citizens and businesses. Stuart Watson reports from a Civil Service World round table on how to call in those debts

By the time of the next election, citizens will have to register to vote using an entirely new system. Joshua Chambers examines the government’s plans for individual voter registration, and the challenges they present

The Ministry of Defence’s new permanent secretary, Jon Thompson, tells Matt Ross how he intends to turn this most complex of Whitehall departments into a more professional operation – and dig it out of its financial hole

An NHS hospital employee says that reforms are creating a culture of fear about jobs, affecting morale and increasing stress-related illnesses among staff

As the Parliament’s halfway point looms, Tim Fish and Ben Willis examine the Cabinet Office’s progress against the tasks it was set in May 2010 as part of the Coalition’s Programme for Government.

As dangers facing the UK develop, so must the means of preventing attack. Joshua Chambers looks at the threats to UK cyber security, and the methods being used to defend Britain’s public and private sectors.

Two years before the budgetary squeeze gripped the civil service, a collapse in the Land Registry’s finances forced it into a painful period of restructuring. Its chief Malcolm Dawson tells Matt Ross about life in a post-cuts world