http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=7539
Kamran Nazeer
"Stuffed full of Locke-quoting philosophers and particle physicists, the civil service elite is the last refuge of the British intellectual. But given recent examples of Whitehall maladministration, is this to be celebrated? The emphasis on the importance of delivery has been growing. Young civil servants, even those recruited from leading universities to the fast stream graduate entry scheme, are encouraged to take "front-line" roles and, in future, promotion for all civil servants will depend on having demonstrated aptitude in a range of roles, including those far removed from ministers' offices in Whitehall. There remains a lot of scepticism, however, as to whether this new emphasis will have lasting effects. Many young civil servants take these roles purely because they know that doing so is now important for career advancement. They don't spend enough time in them for the way they think or work to be changed. They fulfil the requirement, do their time, and return to policy work in Whitehall from the regional outpost, armed with anecdotes about how disorganised it all is and how distant. "
