influence civil service policymaking?

Jake Love SoperEx-(and future?) policy wonk

How does

The Research Realpolitik

1.What’s policy?2.How do you do it?3.How do civil servants get their instructions and get

decisions taken?4.Who does the work?5.Why does research matter?

Big subject – how should we tackle it?

10 years working in the civil service policy profession:• Private pensions• Private office• Disability policy• PMDU• Cabinet Office• State pensions• Child Poverty Unit• Universal Credit• Cybersecurity

9/10 = not a lot

Why does research matter?

Strategy

Policy

Primary legislation

Secondary legislation

Guidance

DeliveryReality

What is policy?How do you do it?

Work should be the way out of poverty

x = 60% of childcare costs.Sets the conditions

So let’s subsidise childcare

Universal Credit will pay x amount if prescribed conditions are met.

The regulations in “standard English”

Childcare IT system

Strategy

Policy

Primary legislation

Secondary legislation

Guidance

Delivery

Reality

Big idea stuff

Development

Policy maintenance

Detail

Politicians and civil servants?

Politicians: cabinet ministers, junior ministers, special advisers, policy advisers, parliamentary clerks…

• Appointed by democracy• Fired by democracy (or the press)• Make policy decisions that sort of

create processes• Directly accountable to Parliament

and therefore to the public

Civil Servants: policy officials, economists, programme directors, postmen, JCP advisers…

• Administrative appointments: a job until you quit or get fired.

• Follow processes.• Advise ministers and answer their

questions (e.g. ‘how much would it save to ground the Red Arrows?’, or ‘can I put this on expenses?’).

The policy development process

Where to start?

Pitch to the civil servant: who does the work?Grade 1: Perm Sec. Knows almost nothing about a policy topic without briefing.

Grade 2: Director General. Will be aware of the key issues and may have detailed knowledge of areas that are particularly important to the Minister.

Grade 3: Director. Will know enough to answer questions thrown at them by Grades 1 and 2 in senior management meetings.

Grade 4: Nope.

Grade 5: Deputy Director. Will likely know the most recent detail included in briefings to Ministers. Will also have a view on the sequence of policy development: is a consultation due? When is the next milestone?

Grade 6: made-up management grade – might have G5 or G7 level of knowledge.

Grade 7, SEO, HEO: Policy expert. Should have enough detailed knowledge to discuss policy options and explain why a decision was taken.

Good civil service advice is:Impartial – this doesn’t mean we don’t have a view!Robust - but that view should be thorough.ImaginativeRelevantSuccinct

Good grade 6 and 7 civil servants will own the advice they give. They will be able to tell a stakeholder why decisions were taken and defend those decisions within the context of compromises (usually to do with cost, of course). But they will also likely know how to change them too.

Pitch to the MinisterThe Minister’s private secretary will triage

information.

If a briefing or submission is not clear, the PS will add a cover note. This is often all the Minister reads.

The ideal advice is:

Clear (which means ‘I get the gist in seconds’. Literally).

Relevant.

Unambiguous.

In sequence.

All crumbles before a well-told anecdote that begins: “well, I visited a Jobcentre the other day and one of the advisers told me…”

Finance

Economists

Other policy

Comms

Delivery

IT

Spads

Case study 1: childcare policy

External consultation:

• Tax-free childcare

• Universal Credit childcare element

• Treatment of income rules

• Self-employment design

Treasury/Cx No. 10/PM DWP Minister

DfE

HMRC

Treasury/CST

No. 10/DPM

DWP special adviser

Case study 2: private pensions

External consultation:

How should the pension protection fund work?

DWP Minister

PPF executive Other stakeholders

EU issues - tbc

Research will be of interest if it relates to work already in hand, for

example itcorroborates (or contradicts) ideas

that underpin a policy

No Panaceas!

Elevator pitch version: how do you want your advice presented to the

politicians?

Convince on method - strengths and weaknesses: a government expert

will probably be asked to give a view – what would they say?

Pitch to:The MinisterThe Treasury

No.10The press

Are you offering to do something more? If so, try and get specific on

the sequencing: when are the decision points?

NB: academic and policy timescales are very different!

Fin.