Coalition Government Project Planner v2 13 Dec 2010
The general aim of the project is to examine the coalition’s ‘governance
mechanisms’ in three different arenas: the executive, legislature, and extraparliamentary arena. The main questions to ask are:
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how does the coalition maintain stability? What mechanisms are effective,
and what are not?
How does the coalition coordinate itself and maintain unity? What
mechanisms are effective, and what are not?
How do the coalition parties maintain their distinctiveness? What
mechanisms are effective, and what are not?
More generally: has coalition government led to changes in how the British
government coordinates and governs itself?
Jan-March: the objectives in the first three months are to:
 Identify key individuals and institutions involved in coalition governance
 identify 4-5 key policies shedding light on how the coalition manages itself—
o a Conservative policy, over which the Lib Dems had doubts;
o a Liberal Democrat policy, where the Conservatives had doubts;
o a policy which is ‘business as usual’;
o a policy which is disputed (? By whom?)
 one policy: tuition fees
 these policies will then be tracked in the different arenas of study: political
party; core executive; parliament; and outside parliament.
April-July/Aug: the objectives in the next four-five months are to:
 deepen analysis of the 4-5 policies
 follow the two constitutional policies of the AV referendum (and
constituency change?) and fixed term parliaments
 one academic article/ array of short articles in practitioner magazines
Aug-Dec: the objectives in the final five months are to:
 Pull together the information gathered and draft a book.
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Project planner
2010 Tasks
By whom
Nov Write Nuffield to accept grant
RH
Appoint Intern
BY
Dec Write to GOD and 3 Whall Depts RH
Create project web page
BY, VS
Meet IfG to dovetail projects
RH, BY
Interview David Laws
RH, BY
Article for CS mag
RH
Prepare lists of recently retired
PW
2011
Jan
Analyse Prog for Gov by Con, LD Intern, BY
etc
Prepare list of Interviewees
BY/ intern
Identify policy networks
Intern
Identify retired civil servants
Intern/PW?
Read literature on topic A
BY
Seminar preparations for IfG
intern
seminar 1
Feb Start interviews in three Depts
PW, BY
Read literature on topic B
BY
Start Cabinet Office interviews
RH
Coalition conference paper?
BY
Mar Select policy case studies for CO RH, BY, PW
and depts
Events and Outputs
Mark Pack seminar
IfG Seminar 1
Coalition conference 25
March
Tim Bale seminar?
Start AV refm and FTPs case
studies
RH
Start interviews
BY
Intern
April
Seminar preparations for IfG
seminar 2
Interviews
BY
IfG Seminar 2
May
Interviews
BY
Seminar preparation for IfG
seminar 3
Intern
June
Seminar preparation for SPG
seminar
Intern
IfG launch: Coalition - One
Year On
Possibly: set of articles in
various practitioner
magazines/ academic article
Prospect article
IfG Seminar 3
July
?Apply to Nuffield for funding
SPG Seminar
2
2012
Finalise book outline
Start writing book
Seminar preparation for Nuffield
Write book
Deadline for Nuffield detailed
appln
RH/BY
RH/BY
Intern
RH/BY
RH/BY
Oct
Write book
RH/BY
Nov
Write book
RH/BY
Nuffield decision further funding Intern
Seminar preparation for
concluding IfG seminar
Dec
Book to publishers
Aug
Sept
Nuffield ‘Cross-fertilisation’
Seminar
Concluding seminar at IfG (5)
2012
Jan
Feb
Mar
SPG Oxford conference
Interviewees
No 10 and Cabinet Office
Category
Interviewee
Politicians
PM
DPM
‘Inner cabinet’
Members of HA committee
Civil service
Spads
GOD
Director-Generals, esp Economic
Domestic
Secretariat,
DPMO
Constitution Unit
Directors
Policy officials
Communications/ Press office
Former SCS
Parliamentary section
Departments
3
Interviewer
RH
RH
RH
RH
RH/BY
RH
and RH/PW/BY
and
PW
PW/BY
RH/BY
PW
PW
Minimum: SOS + 2 ministers; 2 SPADs; 4-5 CS; shadow minister. Total = 10-11 per
dept, not incl policy networks, political parties (add 5-6 more). In re CS, aim for mix:
SCS (perm secdirector) + policy officials (deputy directors?)
Category
Politicians
Civil service
Interviewee
Secretary of State
HOC ministers
HOL minister
Shadow minister
Spads
Permanent secretary
Director-Generals
Directors
Policy officials
Press office
Former SCS
Parliamentary section
Parliament (RH, BY)
Category
Interviewee
Politicians
HOC Speaker
HOC Leader of the House
HOC Shadow Leader of the House
Whips
HOC Select Committee chairs (DEFRA, DECC,
DCLG, PASC, PCRC)
HOC Select Committee members
Leaders of backbench groups, eg., 1922
committee
Leaders of ‘shadow’ policy groups
Parliamentary
HOC Select Committee clerks (DEFRA, DECC,
officials
DCLG, PASC, PCRC)
Parliamentary clerks
Politicians
HOL Speaker
HOL Leader of the House
HOL Shadow Leader of the House
Baroness D’Souza
Whips
HOL Select Committee chairs (Constitution,
Europe?)
Parliamentary
HOL Select Committee members
officials
HOL Select Committee clerks
4
Interviewer
PW
PW
PW/BY
PW
RH/BY
PW
PW
PW
PW/BY
PW/BY
PW
PW
Interviewer
RH
RH
RH
RH
RH/BY
BY
BY
BY
PW
PW
RH
RH
RH
PH/BY
RH
RH/BY
BY
RH
Extra-parliamentary
Category
Interviewee
Interviewer
Politicians
Party president
RH
Party chief executive
RH
Leader of Policy groups
BY
Party faction leaders, eg., Bow group (?), RH/BY
orange bookers
‘coalitionistas’ vs ‘traditionalists’
BY
Policy networks
DECC
PW
DEFRA
DCLG
Journalists/ Media
Category
Print journalists
Bloggers
Interviewee
Rachel Sylvester (Times)
Frances Elliot (Times)
Patrick Wintour (Guardian)
Benedict Brogan (Telegraph)
Mark D’Arcy (BBC)
Michael Crick (BBC)
Interviewer
BY
Iain Dale
Mark Pack
Tim Montgomerie
Academics
Interviewee
Philip Cowley
Tim Bale
Thomas Saalfeld
Wolfgang Muller?
Ben Seyd
Richard Grayson
Interviewer
BY
Other arenas/outputs
Coalition updates (BY)
o Add ‘what is coalition government’ section on coalition government (CG)
webpage
o Weekly updates to be published on CU blog/ (CG) webpage
o Monthly update: BY to write? Perhaps add something about the comparative
experience?
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Four private seminars (at IfG)
Subject matter?
 Communication: getting the message out—press office; party press officers.
 Coordination and conflict: the civil service and special advisers
 The coalition from the outside: policy networks
 Case Study
Study of Parliament Group seminar
 On the impact of the coalition on Parliament—both in the HOC and the HOC,
eg., changes to parliamentary procedure; impact on select committees; the
relationship between the executive and backbenchers
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