Private and third sector

Budget wasn’t business-friendly enough

21 March 2012 | Richard Wellings

Cutting the 50p top tax rate made sense. But the Budget should have done more to encourage wealth creation and resist the politics of envy Read more...

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Outsourcing the Bill

8 March 2012 | John Tizard

Contracting out police services poses difficult questions and a variety of risks. We need a serious debate if public confidence in policing is to be maintained Read more

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Sustainability lessons for Scotland

6 March 2012 | Don Peebles

Many distinctive policies have been successfully introduced by the devolved Scottish Parliament. So why is Scotland looking to England for a sustainable funding model? Read more

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Audit Commission: the feeling’s not mutual

5 March 2012 | David Walker

Today’s announcement on private sector contracts for Audit Commission work confirms that the ‘mutual option’ was always a non-starter for public audit – and for the wider public sector too Read more

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The value of everything

5 March 2012 | Claudia Wood

The Public Services (Social Value) Bill is about to become law. For third sector organisations it could be ground-breaking, so long as they can demonstrate the social value they create  Read more

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Thinking outside the Budget box

29 February 2012 | Henry Kippin

To achieve economic growth, the Chancellor needs to come up with a new narrative on the relationship between the public and private sectors Read more

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Tax and pay: avoiding the inevitable

29 February 2012 | Alan Leaman

The furore over alleged tax avoidance in top public sector jobs begs the question of just how much senior executives should be paid Read more

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Take the long view on unemployment

15 February 2012 | Amna Silim

Today’s announcement of 8.4% unemployment confirms that the UK faces a major jobs crisis. The priority must be measures to tackle long-term worklessness Read more

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The collaboration conundrum

9 February 2012 | Don Peebles

Scotland wants its public bodies to save money by working more closely together and in partnership with the private sector. But can savings really be made this way? US research suggests they can Read more

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Market makeover for universities

3 February 2012 | Matt Grist

The government’s proposed managed market in higher education will produce a number of unintended consequences. Instead, we should move as quickly as possible to an open market for students Read more

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