The proposed agreement with the public sector unions is intended to facilitate public sector reform. In addition to reform in the delivery of public services, the reform agenda may also be interpreted as extending to reforming the role of the public sector in the process of policy development. In this regard, Brendan Tuohy recently contributed an interesting reflective article in the Irish Times, while there is also a critique of the Department of Finance by Eddie Molloy in today’s edition.
In thinking about how policymaking can be improved in Ireland, I invite the readership to offer their views on how policy development can be improved, especially in terms of the advisory role played by civil servants and other public sector policy officials.