Special advisers : who they are, what they do and why they matter / Ben Yong and Robert Hazell.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Viewers of The Thick of It will know of special advisers as spin doctors and political careerists. Several well-known ministers have been special advisers, among them David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Jack Straw and Vince Cable. People also know about the public relations disasters involving Jo Moore, Damian McBride and Adam Smith. But what is the reality? What do special advisers actually do in government? Who are they, where do they come from, and what do they go on to do? This book is the most detailed study yet carried out of special advisers. The Constitution Unit's research team, led by Dr Ben Yong and Professor Robert Hazell, assembled a comprehensive database of over 600 special advisers since 1979. They conducted written surveys, and interviewed over 100 special advisers, ministers and officials from the past thirty years. They conclude that special advisers are now a permanent and indispensable part of Whitehall, but are still treated as transient and temporary. The book concludes with practical recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of special advisers through improvements to their recruitment, induction and training, support and supervision, and strengthening their accountability."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

Cover; Half-title; Title; Copyright; Preface; Contents; List of Figures and Tables; 1 Why Study Special Advisers?; I. FOUR KEY QUESTIONS; II. SPECIAL ADVISERS: A DEFINITION; III. METHODOLOGY; IV. TERMINOLOGY; V. THE OUTLINE OF THE BOOK; 2 Special Advisers and British Government; I. MINISTERS, SPECIAL ADVISERS AND WHITEHALL; A. The Introduction of Special Advisers; B. Excursus: The Changing Centre, 1979-2013; C. The Slow Institutionalisation of Special Advisers; II. THEORY; III. CONCLUSION; 3 Who are Special Advisers?; INTRODUCTION; I. SPECIAL ADVISERS: A BRIEF PORTRAIT, 1979-2013.

A. Numbers of Special AdvisersB. Basic Characteristics; C. Tenure, Ministers and Departments; II. RECRUITMENT: STRUCTURES AND FACTORS UNDERLYING SELECTION; A. Entering Government; B. In Government; C. Other Structural Factors Impacting on Recruitment; CONCLUSION; 4 What Special Advisers Do for Ministers; INTRODUCTION; I. WHY MINISTERS NEED ASSISTANCE; II. SUSPICION AND TRUST; III. ADDITIONAL EXPERTISE; IV. OVERLOAD; V. POLICY DELIVERY AND PROGRESS CHASING; VI. THE WORK OF DEPARTMENTAL SPECIAL ADVISERS; VII. VALUE ADDED; VIII. POWER AND INFLUENCE.

IX. SPECIAL ADVISERS AT THE CENTRE OF GOVERNMENTA. Overload; B. Setting the Government's Direction; C. Step Change: Strategy, Delivery and Media; D. Variable Geometry; E. Finding the Right Levers; F. Ways of Working; G. Quality, Power and Risks; H. Overall Assessment; X. CONCLUSIONS; 5 Special Advisers and the Policy-Making Process; INTRODUCTION; I. OFFICIALS AND SPECIAL ADVISERS: THEIR RESPECTIVE ROLES IN POLICY MAKING; II. HOW WELL DO SPECIAL ADVISERS WORK WITH CIVIL SERVANTS IN POLICY MAKING?; A. Overall views; III. WHERE DO SPECIAL ADVISERS ADD REAL VALUE TO THE WORK OF OFFICIALS?

IV. INTERACTION WITH THE CENTREV. THIRD-PARTY CONTACTS IN POLICY MAKING; VI. SOME SPECIFIC ISSUES IN THE POLICY-MAKING PROCESS; A. Special Advisers and Access to Ministers; B. Do Special Advisers Prevent or Promote the Politicisation of the Civil Service?; C. More Haste, Less Speed; D. Inexperience; VII. SOME CONCLUSIONS; A. Do Special Advisers Add Real Value to Policy Making in Whitehall?; B. But What are the Problems?; VIII. MOVING FORWARD; 6 Special Advisers and Communications; INTRODUCTION; I. MEDIA ADVISERS: WHAT DO THEY ACTUALLY DO?; A. Strategy ... ; B. ... and Tactics.

II. GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS: THE ORIGINS OF 'SPIN DOCTORS'III. THE CAMPBELL REVOLUTION; IV. MEDIA ADVISERS AND THE COALITION; V. SOME CONCLUDING REMARKS; 7 The Regulation, Accountabilities and Responsibilities of Special Advisers; INTRODUCTION; I. SPECIAL ADVISERS: A DISCIPLINARY PROBLEM?; II. THE CONSTITUTIONAL AND REGULATORY CONTEXT; III. ACCOUNTABILITY: THEORY AND PRACTICE; IV. POLICING THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN SPECIAL ADVISERS AND CAREER CIVIL SERVANTS: POLITICISATION AND THE CAP; V. RESPONSIBILITY FOR EFFECTIVENESS: JOB DESCRIPTIONS, INDUCTION AND TRAINING; VI. CONCLUSION.

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