Jim Mather reviews The Whitehall Effect by John Seddon, an uncompromising account of Whitehall’s effect on our public services.

In this blog former Scottish Government minister Jim Mather reviews John Seddon's latest book The Whitehall Effect: How Whitehall became the enemy of great public services and what we can do about it. It addresses themes central to the goals of What Works Scotland and builds on earlier work that has already influenced the emergence of a new Scottish model of development and delivery. 

Beyond cynicism and complacency: Participatory budgeting in Scotland

Oliver Escobar, Lecturer in Public Policy at the University of Edinburgh and part of the What Works Scotland team, outlines how participatory budgeting is gaining momentum in Scotland.