Professor Christopher Hood debates civil service reform

Christopher Hood appeared in a parliamentary debate last week discussing whether and to what extent the UK Civil Service was in need of reform.

In responding to Conservative MP for Dover Charlie Elphicks suggestion that we should look to the United States for a model of reform, Christopher commented that The American system is so massively different.

He gave an example of this by adding that in November he had spoken to the Personnel Directors who had worked under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Both had been responsible for appointing something like 13,000 people over the 8 year terms of those two presidents. This is one person with perhaps 6 graduate assistants appointing 13,000 people

The full debate can be heard on Today in Parliament (BBC Radio 4, Friday 11 January) by clicking here. (The debate begins c. 12.37 and Christopher appears c. 16.28.)