Colin Talbot

It's time government embraced the human side of productivity
10 Jun Civil Service Reform
It's time government embraced the human side of productivity
Equipping and organising people can make a huge difference in productivity levels
Productivity puzzle corner: Can you dig it?
22 Apr Analysis
Productivity puzzle corner: Can you dig it?
In this third instalment of this series on public sector productivity it’s time to turn to some definitions. Which are very simple. And very, very, complicated
Productivity puzzle corner: what is public work?
05 Apr Analysis
Productivity puzzle corner: what is public work?
In a new series of articles, Professor Colin Talbot will explore public sector productivity in the UK. This issue is increasingly on the agenda of both main contenders as they vie to form the next government and is something that will likely occupy civil servants whoever wins
Productivity puzzle corner: The Efficiency Wars redux
28 Mar Economics
Productivity puzzle corner: The Efficiency Wars redux
In a new series of articles, Professor Colin Talbot will explore public sector productivity in the UK. This issue is increasingly on the agenda of both main contenders as they vie to form the next government and is something that will likely occupy civil servants whoever wins
Who's to blame for the Horizon scandal? It’s more Oliver Cromwell than Tony Benn
29 Jan Communications
Who's to blame for the Horizon scandal? It’s more Oliver Cromwell than Tony Benn
As the Post Office scandal continues to unfold, Prof Colin Talbot dives into the murky world of internal "policing" in posts and telecoms
Liz Truss has promised to 'grow the pie'. But which pie?
17 Oct 2022 Economics
Liz Truss has promised to 'grow the pie'. But which pie?
The government has placed growth at the centre of its plans, but what sort of growth? And who really creates value and wealth? Professor Colin Talbot explores the often-neglected parts of our economy to explain why increasing value is not just about growing GDP
Steve Barclay has promised a 'smaller state' – but what does that mean?
17 Feb 2022 Economy
Steve Barclay has promised a 'smaller state' – but what does that mean?
Colin Talbot explores the pros and cons of different approaches to measuring the size of government
Treasury rules?
08 Feb 2022 Civil Service Reform
Treasury rules?
The backdrop to controversies about the Prime Minister's Office and the role of the Treasury are rooted in the history of Whitehall
A lurch towards 'clientelism': The implications of government threats to remove public funding from specific MPs’ constituencies
03 Feb 2022 Economics
A lurch towards 'clientelism': The implications of government threats to remove public funding from specific MPs’ constituencies
Ministers cannot usually intervene to determine the allocation of funds to particular towns or constituencies. Are we now starting to see what is tantamount to discretionary funding?
Cool like the other side of the pillow: the thinking technique that can help solve Whitehall problems
02 Nov 2021 Civil Service Reform
Cool like the other side of the pillow: the thinking technique that can help solve Whitehall problems
A Japanese teaching device has helped Colin Talbot think through some of government’s enduring problems. He explains how it can help you too
Spending reviews: a short history
27 Oct 2021 Economy
Spending reviews: a short history
As chancellor Rishi Sunak sets out his latest spending review, Colin Talbot digs into the history of this deceptively simple fiscal event
Opinion: How does Boris Johnson plan to reform government without Dominic Cummings?
04 Oct 2021 Civil Service Reform
Opinion: How does Boris Johnson plan to reform government without Dominic Cummings?
The government has set out some plans to change how the British state works, but has not yet developed a plan for delivering it. Colin Talbot looks at what is missing
Colin Talbot: Remembering 9/11
10 Sep 2021 Foreign Affairs
Colin Talbot: Remembering 9/11
Twenty years on, the reverberations of the terrorist attack still shape the world. The extent of the threat is different from what preceded it that day, and must be analysed as such
Opinion: What the Whitehall-focused Declaration On Government Reform gets wrong
21 Jun 2021 Civil Service Reform
Opinion: What the Whitehall-focused Declaration On Government Reform gets wrong
The government’s plan for civil service reform doesn’t engage with the reality of the devolved UK, says Colin Talbot
Colin Talbot: Why we weren't ready for Covid-19
14 Jun 2021
Colin Talbot: Why we weren't ready for Covid-19
Dominic Cummings has claimed there was no plan for a pandemic when coronavirus struck. Was he right?
Colin Talbot: How public servants can make the machine work for them
09 Apr 2021 Civil Service Reform
Colin Talbot: How public servants can make the machine work for them
In the first of a new series of articles exploring developments in public sector management, Colin Talbot looks at how one social care organisation is challenging the assumptions of service delivery
Populists in power: the impact on public administration
30 Nov 2020 Leadership
Populists in power: the impact on public administration
Academics are studying the impact of populists in power. Colin Talbot looks at the research and whether it can provide a perspective of Whitehall’s churn of top jobs
Going local: could tax and benefits administration be improved by decentralisation?
28 Nov 2019 Civil Service Reform
Going local: could tax and benefits administration be improved by decentralisation?

At a time when people are more aware of how they can help their local community, Colin Talbot asks if government benefit and taxes could be more effectively delivered with greater local control
Knowledge is power: how does government know what it owns – and how does it affect policy?
24 Dec 2018 Digital, Data & Technology
Knowledge is power: how does government know what it owns – and how does it affect policy?

Colin Talbot looks at how the government takes stock of what it owns – and how knowledge assets are changing what counts as capital
Government chief people officer Rupert McNeil on making changes to civil service learning, and developing the Civil Service Leadership Academy
24 Dec 2018 Government Tax Profession
Government chief people officer Rupert McNeil on making changes to civil service learning, and developing the Civil Service Leadership Academy

With the end of 2018 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top civil servants to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2019 – and tell us who would turn on their town’s Christmas lights.
Too big and too political? Here's how to reorganise the Home Office
20 Jul 2018 Analysis
Too big and too political? Here's how to reorganise the Home Office

After Windrush, is it time for some drastic changes at the Home Office? Whitehall expert Colin Talbot argues for a major re-organisation to tackle the long-standing problems at the department
Colin Talbot: Where to look to get real Budget picture
22 Nov 2017
Colin Talbot: Where to look to get real Budget picture

Amid the theatre of the House of Commons, much Budget detail is hidden away in the Red Book, reveals the bigger picture for the public sector
Book review: Myths of Management – what people get wrong about being the boss
26 Oct 2017 HR
Book review: Myths of Management – what people get wrong about being the boss

A new book examines the myths about management in a way that could help many aspiring or experienced managers
Opinion: how academic blogs can help civil servants create evidence-based policy
02 Oct 2017 Civil Service Reform
Opinion: how academic blogs can help civil servants create evidence-based policy

Recent years has seen a rise in the number of academic blogs that analyse government plans. How can they help make better policy?
Performance measurement: the history and future of Whitehall’s target culture
23 Jun 2017 Government Tax Profession
Performance measurement: the history and future of Whitehall’s target culture

Performance measurement has been a fact of life in the public sector for longer than most people realise.  Colin Talbot traces its past and where it may go next