IfG Events

How do ministers approach leadership in government?


Listen Later

From housing to aviation, the digital economy to patient safety, ministers have a huge range of responsibilities. Yet little is known about how different ministers approach their roles and the reasons for these differences.

How do ministers make decisions? How do they work with the civil service and devise policy? And how do they manage their teams? Dr John Boswell and Dr Jessica Smith of the University of Southampton, drawing on the Institute for Government’s Ministers Reflect archive, have identified different patterns in the way ministers work and seek to lead the civil service - and the different approaches taken by men and women serving in ministerial roles.

To discuss their findings, and how this can help future ministers and civil servants:

  • Dr John Boswell, Associate Professor of Politics at the University of Southampton
  • Dr Jessica Smith, Lecturer in Politics at the University of Southampton
  • Margot James, former minister at DCMS and BEIS and MP for Stourbridge, 2010-19
  • Dame Una O’Brien, former permanent secretary, Department of Health

    This event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Associate Director at the Institute for Government.

    #IfGministers

    We would like to thank the University of Southampton and the ESRC for supporting this event.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    IfG EventsBy Institute for Government

    • 4.5
    • 4.5
    • 4.5
    • 4.5
    • 4.5

    4.5

    2 ratings


    More shows like IfG Events

    View all
    The Week in Westminster by BBC Radio 4

    The Week in Westminster

    32 Listeners

    Political Fix by Financial Times

    Political Fix

    156 Listeners

    Politics Weekly UK by The Guardian

    Politics Weekly UK

    280 Listeners

    Daily Politics from the New Statesman by The New Statesman

    Daily Politics from the New Statesman

    152 Listeners

    Newscast by BBC News

    Newscast

    748 Listeners

    Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government by Institute for Government

    Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

    26 Listeners

    The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

    The Rest Is Politics

    3,802 Listeners

    The News Agents by Global

    The News Agents

    1,251 Listeners

    The State of It by The Times

    The State of It

    83 Listeners

    The Rest Is Money by Goalhanger

    The Rest Is Money

    202 Listeners

    Electoral Dysfunction by Sky News

    Electoral Dysfunction

    123 Listeners

    How To Win An Election by Times Radio

    How To Win An Election

    26 Listeners

    Political Currency by Persephonica

    Political Currency

    142 Listeners

    Politics At Sam and Anne's by Sky News

    Politics At Sam and Anne's

    37 Listeners

    Not Another One by Steve Richards, Miranda Green, Tim Montgomerie and Iain Martin

    Not Another One

    28 Listeners