Mission-driven government: reading list

Everyone who is anyone in government is talking about mission-driven government. But what is it? How does it work? And where has it been done before? If you want to find out, here are the top reads.

1.????? Mission Economy – a moonshot guide to changing capitalism: Mariana Mazzucato

This is the must read set text which provides the academic underpinning to mission-driven thinking across government. Also have a browse on the IIPP’s website for various reviews of mission-driven projects in Camden, Brazil, the EU and Barbados. Publications | UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose - UCL – University College London

2.????? Mission Critical 01: Statecraft for the 21st century - Future Governance Forum

This paper was written in collaboration between the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose at UCL (led by Marianna Mazzucato) and Camden Council (until very recently led by now Cabinet Office Minister Georgia Gould), which has taken a mission-driven approach to local government. If you read one thing on missions, read the executive summary of this!

3.????? The-Radical-How.pdf ( options2040.co.uk )

Written as a collaboration between Public Digital and Nesta, this builds on the experience of GDS, and focuses on how to bring together multi-disciplinary teams to solve complex public sector problems.

4.????? Mission-control_Embargoed1.pdf ( reform.uk )

Reform’s contribution covers much of the same ground, but also includes some thought provoking content on different types of mission requiring different types of solutions.

5.????? Mission-driven government: Delivering for the British public in an age of distrust and disruption | IPPR

Ippr’s contribution focuses on what the centre should look like, how the spending review should work, and how long-term accountability should work.

6.????? What does a ‘mission-driven’ approach to government mean and how can it be delivered? | Nesta

Nesta and the IfG came together to write this paper on missions, which is refreshingly in slide format. It is great at simplifying some of the underpinning theories and tools.

7.????? Mission Driven Bureaucrats- Dan Honig

Dan is a professor at George Town and UCL, and his new book looks at how to support the humans – civil and public servants – charged with delivering missions. He’s all about delegation and empowerment.

8.????? How to run the next multi-year spending review | Institute for Government

If you, like me, think that the way to change the way Whitehall is via the flows of money, then this is for you; a good look at how the spending review process could support missions.

9.????? Strategies, missions and the challenge of whole of government action ( geoffmulgan.com )

Geoff Mulgan is an ex Whitehall insider turned academic. Based on an EU project, this piece is about how the whole of government can innovate, working together.

10.? 5-Missions-for-a-Better-Britain.pdf ( labour.org.uk )

This is Labour’s original paper, which is more about the what (i.e. the five missions) than the how (i.e. how it will be delivered) but useful context nonetheless.

11. What does mission-driven government mean for Whitehall leaders?

My blog on what missions mean for how we lead.