{"id":2235,"date":"2024-02-27T16:08:20","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T16:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/?p=2235"},"modified":"2024-02-27T16:08:20","modified_gmt":"2024-02-27T16:08:20","slug":"can-the-silos-be-broken-cross-government-working-for-public-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/2024\/02\/27\/can-the-silos-be-broken-cross-government-working-for-public-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Can the silos be broken? Cross-government working for public health"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/research-information.bris.ac.uk\/en\/persons\/jack-newman\">Dr Jack Newman<\/a> is a Research Fellow on the <a href=\"https:\/\/eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftruud.ac.uk%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7Camm311%40bath.ac.uk%7C0270fca4a9eb4dc3f16008dc345a662b%7C377e3d224ea1422db0ad8fcc89406b9e%7C0%7C0%7C638442812371458524%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=88yibfnqahmSmiEpLeaNKwLWAHOryM65OEwnU2KaWQc%3D&amp;reserved=0\" data-auth=\"Verified\" data-outlook-id=\"fc4d6a1d-d645-426f-8df8-670d7c57a00d\" data-linkindex=\"1\">TRUUD project<\/a> at the School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol. His current research considers the capacity of political institutions to embed health policy in urban development. More broadly, he researches how the reform of political institutions can lead to more effective public policy. With a focus on spatial inequality and English devolution, he has worked on projects on local policymaking (Uni of Surrey), the UK constitution (Uni of Cambridge), and productivity (Uni of Manchester).<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There is growing recognition that tackling complex social problems, like <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0952076711407104\"><span class=\"s4\">climate change<\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/bristoluniversitypressdigital.com\/view\/journals\/pp\/51\/3\/article-p386.xml\"><span class=\"s4\">health inequalities<\/span><\/a>, can only happen by building strong interconnections across policy jurisdictions and sectors. As part of <a href=\"https:\/\/truud.ac.uk\/\"><span class=\"s4\">the TRUUD project<\/span><\/a>(\u2018Tackling the root causes upstream of unhealthy urban development\u2019), we examine how a wide range of policymakers can and must work together to co-create healthy urban development.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For many decades the siloed departmentalism of Whitehall has been a constraint on cross-government working. The silos are perhaps most apparent from the perspective of local government, which sees Whitehall as <a href=\"https:\/\/lipsit.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/FINAL-Levelling-up-Report-digital.pdf\"><span class=\"s4\">a disjointed monster<\/span><\/a>, a complex labyrinth of incompatible systems. In turn, Whitehall sees local services through a kaleidoscopic perspective, with each department delivering largely separate policy interventions, reflected in its multitude of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jacknewmanHE\/status\/1650762057791283202\"><span class=\"s4\">incommensurate policy geographies<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In the latest attempts to overcome Whitehall siloes, it is possible to distinguish three strategies:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"s6\">Firstly, there are the reforms from within, modifying existing practices and maximising opportunities for cross-departmental working. A new <a href=\"https:\/\/publications.parliament.uk\/pa\/cm5804\/cmselect\/cmpubacc\/75\/summary.html\"><span class=\"s4\">report from the Public Accounts Committee<\/span><\/a> champions this approach.<\/li>\n<li class=\"s6\">Secondly, there are proposals for redesigning the architecture of Whitehall, reforming the so-called \u2018machinery of government\u2019. This is outlined in <a href=\"https:\/\/labour.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/5-Missions-for-a-Better-Britain.pdf\"><span class=\"s4\">Labour\u2019s \u2018mission-driven\u2019 approach<\/span><\/a>.<\/li>\n<li class=\"s6\">Finally, there are proposals for significantly scaling back the functions of Whitehall through a radical decentralisation of power. This is advocated by an increasing array of policy commentators.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"s8\"><span class=\"s7\">Bridging<\/span><span class=\"s7\"> the silos<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Last week, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) published its <a href=\"https:\/\/publications.parliament.uk\/pa\/cm5804\/cmselect\/cmpubacc\/75\/summary.html\"><span class=\"s4\">report on Cross-Government Working<\/span><\/a>. It focused on the government\u2019s existing initiatives to bridge departmental activity, including HM Treasury\u2019s \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/media\/65c4a3773f634b001242c6b7\/Managing_Public_Money_-_May_2023_2.pdf\"><span class=\"s4\">six approaches<\/span><\/a><span class=\"s4\">\u2019<\/span> to working across departments. These include collaborating on policy development, sharing expertise, developing shared programmes, and transferring budgets. However, as the PAC report highlights, there is currently a lack of knowledge in the system about how (and whether) these approaches actually work in practice.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There is perhaps greater promise in the government\u2019s flagship policy for cross-government working. The \u2018Shared Outcomes Fund\u2019 has provided \u00a3600m over the last five years for cross-departmental pilot projects. <a href=\"https:\/\/truud.ac.uk\/\"><span class=\"s4\">TRUUD<\/span><\/a> analysis of the 60 project funded shows that DHSC (Department of Health and Social Care) and DLUHC (Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities) are the most involved in cross-government working. These two departments are also the most frequent collaborators, working together on 17 of the 60 projects. Given that these are just pilot projects, this points to the significant potential for further integration of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/21582041.2023.2232765\"><span class=\"s4\">health and levelling up<\/span><\/a> policies across Whitehall.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As the PAC report rightly argues, it is now time to learn the lessons from these pilots and scale up the successful projects, situating them within a transparent framework of cross-cutting departmental outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"s8\"><span class=\"s7\">Redesigning the silos<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>History shows us that attempts to bridge Whitehall silos are only ever part of the solution. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/pa\/54.1.1\"><span class=\"s4\">Kavanagh and Richards<\/span><\/a> trace the long and repetitive post-war history of initiatives for \u2018joined-up government\u2019, going back to Winston Churchill\u2019s system of \u2018overlords\u2019, in which members of the House of Lords acted as cross-departmental convenors. In the decades since, numerous subsequent initiatives have come and gone,each emphasising strategic direction and each ultimately increasing the centralisation of government.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The latest plan can be found in Labour\u2019s proposals for \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/labour.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/5-Missions-for-a-Better-Britain.pdf\"><span class=\"s4\">mission-driven government<\/span><\/a>\u201d. With familiar critiques that \u201cgovernment still largely operates in silos\u201d, which \u201cinhibits our ability to address complex problems\u201d, Labour proposes to orientate government around a series of cross-cutting <a href=\"https:\/\/marianamazzucato.com\/books\/mission-economy\/\"><span class=\"s4\">missions<\/span><\/a>. <span class=\"s9\">To deliver its proposed \u2018prevention<\/span><span class=\"s9\">-<\/span><span class=\"s9\">first revolution\u2019<\/span><span class=\"s9\">in public health<\/span><span class=\"s9\">, Labour plans to create a \u2018national framework\u2019 <\/span><span class=\"s9\">that embeds<\/span><span class=\"s9\"> the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/truud.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/What-needs-to-happen-to-level-up-public-health.pdf\"><span class=\"s10\">wider determinants of health<\/span><\/a><span class=\"s9\"> across government and public services. This will be overseen by a new \u2018mission delivery board\u2019 <\/span><span class=\"s9\">to<\/span><span class=\"s9\"> bring together all the departments that have an influence on the wider determinants of health.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s9\">Such proposals are very welcome, though t<\/span><span class=\"s9\">here are ambiguities here<\/span><span class=\"s9\">, to the extent that \u201cmission-driven government\u201d<\/span> <span class=\"s9\">could represent a<\/span><span class=\"s9\"> seismic shift in the<\/span><span class=\"s9\"> UK\u2019s<\/span><span class=\"s9\">governance landscape <\/span><span class=\"s9\">or <\/span><span class=\"s9\">merely <\/span><span class=\"s9\">another <\/span><span class=\"s9\">transient <\/span><span class=\"s9\">rebranding<\/span><span class=\"s9\">that leaves existing departmental structures <\/span><span class=\"s9\">largely unaffected<\/span><span class=\"s9\">. <\/span><span class=\"s9\">If<\/span><span class=\"s9\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/labour.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Mission-Public-Services.pdf\"><span class=\"s10\">as implied<\/span><\/a><span class=\"s9\">,<\/span><span class=\"s9\"> a public health <\/span><span class=\"s9\">mission delivery board replicate<\/span><span class=\"s9\">s<\/span><span class=\"s9\"> the functions of the Climate Change Committee, it<\/span><span class=\"s9\">s role would be to advise and monitor government performance, rather than <\/span><span class=\"s9\">coordinate the activities of government departments. If,<\/span><span class=\"s9\"> as<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/labour.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/5-Missions-for-a-Better-Britain.pdf\"><span class=\"s10\">Labour has proposed elsewhere<\/span><\/a><span class=\"s9\">, it replaces existing<\/span><span class=\"s9\">\u00a0cabinet committees, it <\/span><span class=\"s9\">could have a more fundamental role in<\/span> <span class=\"s9\">changing departmental priorities.<\/span><span class=\"s9\">However, <\/span><span class=\"s9\">as the Institute for government <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/publications\/creating-and-dismantling-government-departments.pdf\"><span class=\"s10\">has argue<\/span><span class=\"s10\">d<\/span><\/a><span class=\"s9\">, <\/span><span class=\"s9\">reorganising the Whitehall machinery is an expensive and disruptive business<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"s8\"><span class=\"s7\">Decentralisation<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Bridging and redesigning are important strategies for realising cross-government working, but they cannot be the solution on their own. In the academic literature, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/21582041.2023.2232765\"><span class=\"s4\">many argue<\/span><\/a> that the best place to achieve joined up working, or a systems approach, is at the local level. The Government\u2019s recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/levelling-up-the-united-kingdom\"><span class=\"s4\">Levelling Up White Paper<\/span><\/a> indicates that the local level is the best spatial scale to join up and engage affected communities in the co-design of place-based initiatives. This is particularly important in the delivery of a preventative public health agenda, in which decisions around transport, housing, and planning have <a href=\"https:\/\/truud.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Health-in-government-housing-and-transport-policies-briefing.pdf\"><span class=\"s4\">significant impacts<\/span><\/a> on the long-term health of urban populations. This in turn requires cross-government working nationally to provide the right structures and incentives to enable local actors to join up their activities.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The emerging devolution model in England holds a great deal of potential for bringing together a range of policy actors around cross-cutting missions. Initiatives like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fromegateway.co.uk\/\"><span class=\"s4\">Frome Gateway<\/span><\/a> in Bristol and the <a href=\"https:\/\/tfgm.com\/strategy\/streets-for-all\"><span class=\"s4\">Streets for All project<\/span><\/a> in Greater Manchester are positive indications that, at the local level,public health can be embedded across various policy sectors. There remain, however, some big <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk\/publications\/devolving-english-government\/\"><span class=\"s4\">unanswered questions on English devolution<\/span><\/a> around funding mechanisms, institutional capacity, policy powers, accountability, and geographical footprint. To meet the pressing challenges around public health and other complex social problems, these questions will need answers.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>To realise cross-government working, it is of course important to build bridges across Whitehall departments and to fine-tune the machinery of government, but this must be done in tandem with a major decentralisation of policymaking and an agenda for realising the potential in the emerging devolution model.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>All articles posted on this blog give the views of the author(s), and not the position of the IPR, nor of the University of Bath.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr Jack Newman is a Research Fellow on the TRUUD project at the School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol. His current research considers the capacity of political institutions to embed health policy in urban development. More broadly, he researches...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1742,"featured_media":2236,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[108,116,118,124,126,129],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture-and-policy","category-evidence-and-policymaking","category-health","category-public-services","category-science-and-research-policy","category-uk-politics"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/115\/2024\/02\/4C55DFA6-4EF5-453E-AEF6-2982C314E8D1.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1742"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2235\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}