Policy Matters: What’s wrong with democracy in Britain and how can it be fixed?

In this episode of Policy Matters, hosts Franz Buscha and Matt Dickson talk to Nadine Smith, the Director of the Centre for Public Impact. Previous to her current role, for many years Nadine was a civil servant at the Cabinet Office, working at the centre of UK government at the intersection of policy, politics and communications. Franz and Matt begin by asking Nadine about the mission of the Centre for Public Impact and how they look to influence policymakers and improve government. The conversation considers the problems that arise when public service provision is marketised and driven by performance targets and league tables, and how systems might be redesigned to be more responsive to the needs of citizens. Nadine, Franz and Matt then go on to discuss the possibilities for greater citizen involvement in decision-making and the ways in which we could potentially introduce more deliberative democracy in the UK.