Richards, David and Smith, Martin John orcid.org/0000-0003-3591-6118 (2016) The Westminster Model and the ‘Indivisibility of the Political and Administrative Elite’:A Convenient Myth Whose Time Is Up? Governance: An International Journal of Policy, Administration and Institutions. pp. 499-516. ISSN 0952-1895
Abstract
This article argues that the principle of indivisibility in the relationship between political and administrative elites acted as a central convention of the Westminster system for much of the twentieth century. It explores how in more recent decades this principle has been challenged by the shift to a principal-agent approach. It considers the extent to which this shift diminishes the traditional Westminster understanding of the minister-civil servant relationship as one based on a symbiotic interdependent partnership. In its place has emerged a more universal command and control relationship which is seen as necessary to meet the demands of modern accountability and transparency. Such a change has fundamentally altered a long-established power-bargain between ministers and civil servants and undermined a core tenet of the Westminster Model.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Social Sciences (York) > Politics (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 05 Nov 2016 00:01 |
Last Modified: | 08 Feb 2025 00:19 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12225 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/gove.12225 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:106983 |
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