Comments on: Beware quango bashing http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/politics/beware-quango-bashing/ Politics, brains, social action and the day to day life of the RSA’s chief executive Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:15:48 +0000 hourly 1 By: Philip Craig http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/politics/beware-quango-bashing/comment-page-1/#comment-2638 Philip Craig Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:07:40 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2052#comment-2638 I spend a great deal of my professional life working with or studying the strategies and programmes of the Regional Development Agencies (RDA). Often criticised, they were set the challenging long term objective of reducing disparities within and between the English regions. In terms of their role as an NDPB, they have been subject to many and varied forms of accountability – national (ministerial, NAO assessment, impact assessment) and regional (through the Government Offices) and local (local authority input through Assembly scrutiny of policy and programmes). So the picture painted, of an unaccountable Quango is somewhat different. And any critique of the RDA model must also take account of the alternative: a central government model which is too distant (and localities without the interest or competence); the need to design regionally differentiated economic solutions (to need rather than departmental target); the ability to utilise regional flexibility and expertise (including a wider range of stakeholders, including business); the building of co-ordination and capacity missing at a local level (working across boundaries and joining-up policy areas); and increased ability to benchmark (for monitoring and performance). I spend a great deal of my professional life working with or studying the strategies and programmes of the Regional Development Agencies (RDA). Often criticised, they were set the challenging long term objective of reducing disparities within and between the English regions. In terms of their role as an NDPB, they have been subject to many and varied forms of accountability – national (ministerial, NAO assessment, impact assessment) and regional (through the Government Offices) and local (local authority input through Assembly scrutiny of policy and programmes). So the picture painted, of an unaccountable Quango is somewhat different. And any critique of the RDA model must also take account of the alternative: a central government model which is too distant (and localities without the interest or competence); the need to design regionally differentiated economic solutions (to need rather than departmental target); the ability to utilise regional flexibility and expertise (including a wider range of stakeholders, including business); the building of co-ordination and capacity missing at a local level (working across boundaries and joining-up policy areas); and increased ability to benchmark (for monitoring and performance).

]]> By: James Hulme http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/politics/beware-quango-bashing/comment-page-1/#comment-2584 James Hulme Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:04:57 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2052#comment-2584 Hi Matthew, Here's my twopenneth... http://www.progressonline.org.uk/Magazine/article.asp?a=4442 Hi Matthew,

Here’s my twopenneth…

http://www.progressonline.org.uk/Magazine/article.asp?a=4442

]]> By: Fred http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/politics/beware-quango-bashing/comment-page-1/#comment-2582 Fred Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:16:32 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2052#comment-2582 I would argue that quangos are a heuristic in the public mind for waste in much the same way that grammar schools are a heuristic for quality. Whereas people might have opinions one way or another on the utkility of the HFEA or whatever using the q word to describe it is intended to stake out territory and inhibit debate rather than to enlighten. The second point is that the life of these things are decided by a whole range of other matters unrelated to mainstream political debate and which operate outside the regular political cycle. For instance key thing with regulators is the big regulator/small regulator cycle whereby we decide the synergies between XY and Z merit their sweeping up into an uber regulator, which we then split into its previous components ten years down the line for being insufficiently specialist. It would take a skilled and long serving SoS to prevent this type of thing continuing. I would argue that quangos are a heuristic in the public mind for waste in much the same way that grammar schools are a heuristic for quality. Whereas people might have opinions one way or another on the utkility of the HFEA or whatever using the q word to describe it is intended to stake out territory and inhibit debate rather than to enlighten.

The second point is that the life of these things are decided by a whole range of other matters unrelated to mainstream political debate and which operate outside the regular political cycle.

For instance key thing with regulators is the big regulator/small regulator cycle whereby we decide the synergies between XY and Z merit their sweeping up into an uber regulator, which we then split into its previous components ten years down the line for being insufficiently specialist. It would take a skilled and long serving SoS to prevent this type of thing continuing.

]]> By: matthewtaylor http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/politics/beware-quango-bashing/comment-page-1/#comment-2580 matthewtaylor Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:20:32 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2052#comment-2580 Hi Simon. The Institute of Government has done some work on the Canada experience and David Halpern has written about it in the most recent Prospect Hi Simon. The Institute of Government has done some work on the Canada experience and David Halpern has written about it in the most recent Prospect

]]> By: matthewtaylor http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/politics/beware-quango-bashing/comment-page-1/#comment-2579 matthewtaylor Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:19:21 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2052#comment-2579 Thanks Liam. You are right that it's a danger. Although ministers can equally do this with public bodies like Academies or NHS Trusts that are not quangos but do have devolved freedoms. But most people are in favour of this kind of devolution. Thanks Liam. You are right that it’s a danger. Although ministers can equally do this with public bodies like Academies or NHS Trusts that are not quangos but do have devolved freedoms. But most people are in favour of this kind of devolution.

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