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THE current trend in British public administration and the way public services are organised goes well beyond anything one could describe as new management techniques. It involves a new way [...]

Reports on the plan of the teachers of politics to advocate a program of political education in schools in Great Britain. Prevalence of political education outside the institutional framework of the educational system; Details on the general structure of the educational system; Limitations of political education through youth clubs.

One of the legacies of the Westland and Ponting affairs has been a renewed interest in the doctrine of ministerial responsibility, it seemed appropriate, therefore, that the journal should seek to make its small contribution to the debate. This symposium raises some of the questions central to any adequate analysis of ministerial responsibility in Britain in the 1980s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at some of the ambiguities in the commonly-used phrase ‘career service’ and considers what the essential elements of a true career service might be. It raises questions about civil service organization that may interest the reformist practitioner. It draws attention to an under-researched field (British textbooks are virtually silent on the subject of promotion) that deserves further academic study. British arrangements are placed in a comparative perspective. Until recently it could be said that the British civil service better resembled the ideal of a career service than that of any other western democracy. As a result of Thatcherite changes, we may in future look more like the rest of Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the administrative problems encountered in the implementation of the job creation program (JCP) of Manpower Services Commission in Great Britain. The JCP was launched to provide temporary employment for people and managed by local authorities and voluntary bodies, who devised schemes and rules for the program. The budget allocated for the program amounted to 30 million pounds and by the end of 1977 it had reached 166 million pounds accounting for 120,000 temporary jobs; but by the end of 1978 the funding for the program stopped and the program ceased its operation. F. F. Ridley, JCP chairman, viewed that unclear definitions of the basic program principles such as temporary employment, benefits to employees and community are some of the problems in the implementation.

This article presents information on the financial crisis being faced in Liverpool in the year 1985. The press and mass media collectively tried to explain the underlying economic problems that Liverpool was facing. It is opined that even the political leaders of Liverpool did not have full control over the technicalities involved in the 1985 crisis. The 1985 crisis ended not with a bang but with a whimper. One might have expected the labor councilors to carry their fight to the bitter end, forcing the Government to send in Commissioners. Since eventual disqualification from office was quite likely as a result of the District Auditor's surcharge, they had little to lose personally.

The article seeks to explain the meaning and true nature of political institutions based on the domain of political science. Linguistic confusion regarding the meaning of institutions persist among modern political scientists and sociologists, clouding an understanding of the political reality. A theatrical analogy may be drawn comparing political institutions as entities imbued with a script and defined by a particular purpose. Herman Finer's traditional approach to studying institutions underlie their dual role as both means and ends to societal goals.

The article discusses the need for constitutional checks on the way that power can be used to strengthen the position of those who are supposed to hold it temporarily as elected representatives of the people in Great Britain. The author stresses on the British system of government which can be remarkably unrepresentative. He implies that the country's system has no superior and entrenched constitutional law, and the limitations on government do not depend on a special law enforced by a special court or on a balance of power between branches of government, executive and legislative, between chambers of the legislature or national and provincial authorities.

The article focuses on the implication of the British constitution on the legitimacy of its government. It is different from other democratic countries for its constitution has grown itself rather than being made as what other countries usually did. It depended on the sovereignty of Parliament where its courts recognized it as such and hold themselves bound by its output. It holds the legislative power and established itself as the constituent authority of the country and it can alter constitutional arrangements through a simple majority vote. Its rules for change are established in the documentary constitution and legalized by the constituent authority of the people.

The article tackles on the right of civil servants to release and bring out their opinions related to current issues. Factors that shape values in civil service are also presented. It also touches on the facelessness of servants in civil service. According to the author, the conventional anonymity of civil servants in Great Britain has its origins from constitutional rationales which are then translated to functionary rules. It is also emphasized that the modification of civil service values can be attributed to public administration.

The article discusses the approaches to the redress of grievances in Great Britain. Letters from a Member of Parliament or an interest-group organization on the complainant's behalf, exposure of bureaucracy in the local press or radio and community action in support of an aggrieved person are some of the informal procedures for appeal. The traditional role of parliament as a channel for complaints against government in the country is compared with other traditions. It is said that the traditional remedy for individual grievances against administration is through parliament.

The article discusses the dramatic change in the British system of government in relation to the British civil service. According to the report, the civil service's political neutrality is a long established tradition, thus its engagement with various political activities and becoming politicized was a complete surprise. The section traces these changes within the British system of government, starting with a brief report on the traditional principles governing the relationship between civil servants and politics.