Theme : public
- Users hold the key to future public services Having service users involved in the design of public services seems an obvious way to ensure that their needs are met. But a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Demos, a think-tank, says that public services in the UK lag behind those of other countries in doing so. Across the world, public services are becoming more complex and resources more stretched. Collaborative design is an international movement, with more than 90 per cent of survey respondents across the world having taken part in a project that involved service users in its design or development. from : charlieedwards 8th July 2008
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The new public diplomacy– an appetiser
Our project on the new public diplomacy is beginning to produce some interim outputs. You may be interested in the following talks:
The new public diplomacy and Afghanistan – a talk at a Defence Academy seminar on Strategic Communications, Public Diplomacy and Afghanistan.
Technology and public diplomacy – a talk to the University of Westminster Symposium on Transformational Public Diplomacy
Next month, the Foreign Office will publish a book on the new public diplomacy, with a chapter from David and Alex that offers a preview of their Demos pamphlet. The book will be launched in Washington at the Brookings Institution and in London at Chatham House.
from : charlieedwards 20th June 2008 - Public science and public goods Our debate on university science a couple of weeks back has been picked up by Times Higher. It served the important, and possibly therapeutic, purpose of getting some things out into the open. As someone with strong opinions in this area, I found my independence as a chair stretched. But my desire was to expose some unacknowledged tensions and start a genuinely new conversation about where science in universities is going and what assumptions are steering it. The debate was instigated by... from : jackstilgoe 2nd June 2008
- Is public science a public good? Should we be worried about companies funding university science? Does it make for more innovation or is it poisoning science and blackening our ivory towers? Join us for a debate on the future of public science.We are delighted to have the following speakers Philip Moriarty, Professor of physics, University of Nottingham Ben Goldacre, Scientist and journalist Terence Kealey, Vice Chancellor University of Buckingham John Pethica, Chief Scientist, National Physical Laboratory Ian... from : jackstilgoe 3rd March 2008
- How far can individual budgets go? Can the welfare state be revolutionised through the use of individual budgets? This transformation - making people participants in designing and delivering services – has already started in social care, where individual budgets are allowing people to take control of services they receive. This seminar will preview a major Demos report on participative public services, led by Charles Leadbeater, which will be formally launched at the Making Public Services Personal conference in January 2008. from : jenlexmond 19th November 2007
- Efficiency and Local Government If we want the public sector to be as slick and efficient as the private, we must accept that its top executives should be rewarded accordingly from : williamhigham 13th November 2007
- Grey Majority vs. Ipod Generation I was at Tory Conference yesterday speaking at a Fringe event organised by the Smith Institute & Reform, entitled 'Advancing Opportunity: the grey majority versus the ipod generation', looking at economic and social fairness between generations. from : faizalfarook 2nd October 2007
- NHS Productivity Opening the papers this morning, it looks like Derek Wanless has thrown the efficiency cat amongst the NHS pigeons. We already knew that a large proportion of extra NHS funding went on staff wages, yet according to Wanless we have seen little increase in productivity. Improvements in smoking cessation and increased life expectancy are being countered by increasingly poor lifestyles/obesity and rising health inequalities between rich and poor.According to NHS statistics total staffing (FTE) in... from : faizalfarook 11th September 2007
- GP hours - Time for change? According to the Times today Alan Johnson is set to challenge some of the terms of the GP contract by proposing that GP’s open surgery out of hours and on weekends. This has met with some criticism from the BMA, who argue that other professionals don’t have to work weekends, and that out of hours work would mean a reduction of normal hours service.There are genuine questions to be asked around how to shape our current model of GP care to best suit the healthcare requirements... from : faizalfarook 10th September 2007
- Side effects of pay injection for GPs Response letter to Guardian article, Aug 7th 07 from : faizalfarook 10th September 2007