Public spending

Don’t delay on Dilnot

15 March 2012 | Patrick Nolan

Political paralysis has prevented Andrew Dilnot’s proposals on elderly care from being taken forward. Cross-party agreement is essential and the government should commit to introducing legislation by the end of this Parliament Read more

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Could state capitalism save the day?

15 March 2012 | Malcolm Prowle

More austerity will not lead to growth in the UK. We should learn from successful economies across the world, where government involvement in the private sector is accepted and has helped provide stability and boost business Read more

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Homelessness: behind the headlines

12 March 2012 | John Perry

The latest homelessness figures show that rising rents, constraints on housing benefit and cuts to council budgets are all coming home to roost 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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NHS rationing: who decides?

27 February 2012 | Benedict Rumbold

A more explicit system is needed to determine how tough NHS spending decisions are made, and what treatments get funded Read more

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Local government: getting the job done

23 February 2012 | Steve Freer

Councils are clearly facing a difficult time, but CIPFA’s chief executive suggests that good financial progress has been made and there is reason for cautious optimism Read more

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Higher ed: the price is wrong

21 February 2012 | Matt Grist

Could student tuition fees be reduced without having to increase public spending? If inflation is taken into account, then the answer might be ‘yes‘ Read more

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Getting the best from benchmarking

21 February 2012 | John Tizard

Many public bodies now undertake comparisons of their performance with similar organisations. But there are a number of dangers that must be avoided if the practice is not to be positively damaging Read more

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Lansley: a suitable case for treatment

10 February 2012 | Malcolm Prowle

Reform is urgently needed in the NHS, but Andrew Lansley’s Health and Social Care Bill is not the way to do it. The health secretary failed to undertake a robust analysis of the proposed legislation’s feasibility, prospects of success or risks Read more

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Welfare Bill: an abuse of privilege

6 February 2012 | Claudia Wood

The government has reversed its House of Lords defeats on the Welfare Reform Bill by reaching for an archaic convention on ‘financial privilege’. It’s a very dangerous precedent  Read more

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