IfG Events

Institute for Government
IfG Events

How can government in the UK recover from a more than half a decade of political chaos and confusion? What can be done to solve some of the most complex policy challenges in living memory? And which battlegrounds will define the fast-approaching – and critical – general election? Featuring some of the world's most innovative public figures, politicians, opinion-formers and academics, the IfG EVENTS podcast brings you the very best of the Institute for Government's agenda-shaping speeches, interviews, panel discussions and debates.  From reforming how the centre of government works to the battle for the future of the civil service, from making a success of levelling up to achieve net zero goals, IfG EVENTS stimulate fresh thinking and share ideas about how government works – and how it could work better.

  1. 29 OCT

    Lessons from the rise and fall of the Department for International Development

    From its creation in 1997 to its merger with the Foreign Office in 2020, the Department for International Development (DfID) managed nearly £200 billion in total and played a global leadership role in reducing poverty. While DfID also had to deal with high-profile failures and public criticism, sustained political support from Labour, coalition and Conservative governments helped the department to achieve a record of delivery during its 23-year existence.   A new book, The Rise and Fall of the Department for International Development, will be published in October. Sir Mark Lowcock, the book's co-author with Ranil Dissanayake, joined an expert panel at the Institute for Government to discuss what we can learn from DfID's history, with a particular focus on building the institution, how to maintain civil service capability, targeting resources and developing ways to measure value for money – with essential lessons for the new Labour government and what other departments can learn from DfID's focus on delivery.   Joining Sir Mark Lowcock on the panel were:   Sarah Champion MP, Chair of the International Development Select Committee Andrew Mitchell MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary and former Secretary of State for International Development   The panel was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 3m
  2. 23 OCT

    How can the government effectively roll out EV charging infrastructure?

    The government has promised to restore the target to phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030. The zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate also requires that 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain will have to be zero emission by 2030. However, car makers have expressed concerns about their ability to hit these targets without further support, and the sale of electric vehicles (EVs) is lagging behind the government target. So what are the barriers to EV uptake?   Charging infrastructure is one reason consumers hesitate to make the switch, with a lack of on-street charging, bottlenecks with motorway charging, as well as concerns about price differential and different rates of VAT for on- and off-street parking. More also needs to be done to ensure the electricity network can cope with demand, and that charge points can be easily and cheaply connected to the grid.   So what could be done to accelerate the rollout of EV charging infrastructure? How does the new government plan to address these challenges? And where in the country are these problems most acute?   To discuss these questions and more, our panel included:   Lilian Greenwood MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Future of Roads) Rosa Hodgkin, Researcher at the Institute for Government Ian Howells, Executive Vice President of Honda Motor Europe Bharat Pathania, Head of New Technologies at Midlands Connect   This event was chaired by Nehal Davison, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.   We would like to thank Honda for kindly supporting this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    59 min

About

How can government in the UK recover from a more than half a decade of political chaos and confusion? What can be done to solve some of the most complex policy challenges in living memory? And which battlegrounds will define the fast-approaching – and critical – general election? Featuring some of the world's most innovative public figures, politicians, opinion-formers and academics, the IfG EVENTS podcast brings you the very best of the Institute for Government's agenda-shaping speeches, interviews, panel discussions and debates.  From reforming how the centre of government works to the battle for the future of the civil service, from making a success of levelling up to achieve net zero goals, IfG EVENTS stimulate fresh thinking and share ideas about how government works – and how it could work better.

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