Examining how cabinet government operates – from role and influence to opportunities for ‘challenge’.
Cabinet government is made up of much more than a single meeting. Decision-making structures include formal and informal meetings across Whitehall through an interlinked network of people. Similar structures have been replicated across a range of parliamentary democracies, from Westminster systems like Australia, to the more collaborative traditions of coalition-based systems in countries like Denmark and the Netherlands.
This research theme examines how cabinet government operates, including aspects like the influence of the prime minister’s office, the role and influence of senior civil servants and special advisors, and how opportunities for ‘challenge’ are built into the system.
Further forthcoming research topics will consider the speed of decision-making and the real-time pressures this places on current structures.
Publications
- Policy lessons from catastrophic events. Report by Diane Coyle, Gill Kernick, Owen Garling, Martin Stanley, Flora Cornish, David Wales, and David Slater.
- Policy resources to understand the policy development process and help shape and inform public policy.
- Comparing Cabinets: Dilemmas of Collective Government – Book by Dennis C. Grube with co-authors Prof. Patrick Weller and Prof. R.A.W. Rhodes
- Grube, D.C. and Killick, A. (2021) ‘Groupthink, Polythink and the Challenges of Decision-making in Cabinet Government’, Parliamentary Affairs. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsab047
Image: “UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet meets with Gabriele Heinisch-Hosek, Austrian Federal Minister for Women and Civil Service” by UN Women Gallery is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
