7 February 2013
“How to be a civil servant” published at www.civilservant.org.uk comprehensively packages information about the British civil service, including material on its history, role, responsibilities, and relationships with the EU and Parliament. It has recent articles on civil service reform.
A new post this week asks “Is New Zealand’s approach better?” It compares and contrasts the effectiveness of Minister / Chief Executive relationships in New Zealand with the equivalent Minister / Permanent Secretary relationship in the United Kingdom.
It concludes that New Zealand chief executives are more responsive to Ministers’ ideas and beliefs. By contrast, their British counterparts appear “… slow, cautious, uncommitted and sometimes downright obstructive…” It comes down to a choice between New Zealand’s exciting free market Ministerial ideas, and the United Kingdom’s rather dull and risk-averse approach…”
Integrity Talking Points 