The future of national urban policy in Australia has been in doubt since the closure of the federally-funded Major Cities Unit in late 2013. In this post, former Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe reflects on the contributions of previous federal governments to coordinated policy, planning and infrastructure investment in Australia's cities.
Read MoreLast year we ran pieces by Brian Howe and Richard Madden on the proposed changes to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Below, Richard provides further insight into the challenges facing government statistical agencies in response to a piece in the Sydney Morning Herald. Richard is a Professor at the University of Sydney and has been Director of AIHW and previously Deputy Australian Statistician
Read MoreCivil Servants have significant influence on the lives of the individuals they govern. Yet we have little knowledge as to how Civil Servants themselves are governed.
Mark Jarvis has been conducting research to understand how civil servants are held to account. Whilst there is a lot being done well, Jarvis identifies ways in which civil service accountability could be improved and suggests there is room for improvement in the way we think about accountability.
Read MoreI dreamt I had a phone call from Scott Morrison now Minister for Social Services. He explained that his newly repentant government had realised it was out of step with the Australian people on social policy matters. He wanted to establish better communication with the people and, hearing that I had studied Australian social policy for so many years, wondered if we might chat about the ‘Australian Way’.
Read MoreBelow, Leon Feinstein provides further background on the longitudinal data discussed and defends the findings against some key misunderstandings of the data. This post first appeared on the LSE Impact Blog.
Read MoreThere's a broad consensus that the NLP's loss in Queensland and rumours of a leadership challenge can be sheeted back to poor policy choices by both governments. Below, a timely piece from Paul Cairney (@Cairneypaul) on whether personal beliefs can in fact be separated from facts when making policy. Paul Cairney is Professor of Politics and Public Policy at the University of Stirling.
This piece originally featured on Paul's personal Blog.
Read MoreThe Harper Review proposed increased competition in the social services sector. Below, Vin Martin & Dennis Fitzgerald from Catholic Social Services Australia respond.
Read MoreThis is an excerpt from a talk given last night to Social Policy Connections AGM by Dr Paul Smyth (full paper will shortly be available on the SPC website http://www.socialpolicyconnections.com.au/ ). It is a call to action for faith-based organisations and advocates, to come out unequivocally and assertively with the message that the Good Society is created in spaces and through narratives that the weakening PaleoLiberal rationale cannot reach or answer.
Read MoreIn a recent blog post, Dr Gemma Carey of Australian National University discusses the challenges inherent in the current policy formation process – including the outsourcing of government functions to a range of non-governmental agencies, the increased complexity of ‘wicked’ social problems, and the chaotic and opportunistic policy process itself. In this follow-up article, Dr Kathy Landvogt and Susan Maury, both of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, explain how The Power to Persuade responds to this policy milieu.
Read MoreComplexity and systems science is getting a lot of interest in public policy, and related areas such as public health. But how well does it fit with existing public sector accountability structures? Below, Paul Cairney explores these issues in the UK context. This post originally appeared on his personal blog. Paul is a Professor of Politics and Public Policy at the University of Stirling, you can follow him on twitter at @Cairneypaul.
Read MoreIn the lead up to 2013 federal election, NACCHO (the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation) developed a comprehensive social media/Twitter based political campaign built around the simple key message that “Investing in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health makes economic sense”.
Colin Cowell was NACCHO’s National Communications and Media Advisor from 2012-2014. In the post below he outlines the aims and impact of that campaign. Chosen earlier this year as Radio National's Twitterati of the Week, he also offers '8 tips for tweeting your next health event' and some key questions to consider to guide your social media efforts.
Read MoreWhat is it about a discourse that conjures up "archaic days of cardigan wearing, typewriter tapping, pen pushing public servants" who are resistant to change? Public policy adviser and lecturer Maria Katsonis looks to the past and the future to speak in defence of the 21st century public servant.
Read MoreThe G20 forum closed in Australia on Sunday, with agreements to close multinational tax loopholes, boost growth and infrastructure spending, improve trade, step up climate change action, strengthen banks, and better respond to the Ebola outbreak in west Africa.
The G20 brought with it a number of partner meetings, which have delivered their responses to the official communique: See the statements from L20 (labour) and B20 (business).
See below for the full statement from the C20 (or ‘Civil Society 20’).
Read MoreThe push to collaborate has increased the complexity of the policy-making and policy-implementation processes.
To collaborate effectively, the right supports and platforms are necessary. In this post, Dr Gemma Carey from Australian National University reflects on this problem, and what she and others are doing to remedy it.
Read MoreI was fortunate to chair Day Two of The Conversation\ Informa ‘Future of Welfare’ conference on October 31st. It showcased what is emerging as a brave new world of social policy research and advocacy in Australia. As Labor MP Jenny Macklin observed in the concluding address to the conference: social policy is no longer ‘the Poor Cousin’ to economic policy in the Australian political scene. What struck me as distinctive features of this brave new world?
Read MoreThe LSE Impact Blog knows the secret to brightening any Monday...a bit of neoliberalism and Big Data.
A range of social actors are pushing for Open Government Data, from open research advocates to the private sector, resulting in a complex and contested landscape. Jo Bates examines recent developments on how the government have been able to use the rhetoric of transparency for political ends, paving the way for the implementation of long term austerity. She argues we cannot make assumptions about the benefits of ‘openness’ and must continue to revisit the data infrastructure and governance framework.
Read MoreCynicism has been creeping into debates over evidence-based policy. We've certainly noticed this in the last two PTP symposiums, with speakers urging a more realistic adoption of 'informed policy'. Below,Kathryn Oliver, Simon Innvær, Theo Lorenc, Jenny Woodman, andJames Thomas examine some of the on-going barriers to evidence-based (and even evidence-informed) policy. This post originally appeared on the LSE Impact Blog.
Read MoreThis post originally appeared on Professor Christina Boswell's personal blog, but we felt it was highly relevant in Australia particularly given the recently announced review of the ARC's Cooperative Research Centre program. Christina in a Professor of Politics at the University of Edinburgh, her research explores the use of knowledge in policymaking and politics.
Read MorePolicy that targets those groups most in need is the fairest way to distribute limited resources, right? Not necessarily, writes Dr Gemma Carey.
Read MoreWhat happens when outsourced contractors are no longer able or willing to continue with the provision of public services? In this post below from the London School of Economics and Political Science blog British Politics and Policy, Bob Hudson explores the downsides of outsourcing public services and writes that public services should be seen as something more than a contract put out to the market to secure ‘value for money’.
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