Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Westminster, Governance and the Politics of Policy Inaction

‘Do Nothing’

  • Book
  • © 2017

Overview

Authors:
  1. Stephen Barber

    1. School of Business, London South Bank University; Global Policy Institute, London, United Kingdom

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Examines ‘do nothing’ politics for the first time, setting it in the context of British government policy making
  • Comments on the nature of parliamentary opposition to ask how ‘do nothing’ policies can be held to account
  • Shows how deciding to do nothing can be the most significant policy of all, and considers future challenges for ‘do nothing’ politicians

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (4 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction: A Systemic Problem for Westminster Government

    • Stephen Barber
    Pages 1-19

  3. Why ‘Do Nothing’ and ‘Who Does It’?

    • Stephen Barber
    Pages 21-44

  4. Why Does ‘Do Nothing’ Politics Matter?

    • Stephen Barber
    Pages 45-62

  5. How is ‘Do Nothing’ Politics Held to Account?

    • Stephen Barber
    Pages 63-81

  6. Back Matter

    Pages 83-97
    Download chapter PDF
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

This book shows how political inaction has shaped the politics, economy and society we recognize today, despite the fact that policymakers are incentivised to act and to be seen to act decisively. Politicians make decisions which affect our lives every day but in our combative Westminster system, are usually only held to account for those which change something. But what about decisions to do nothing?  What about policy which is discarded in favour of an alternative? What about opposition for naked political advantage? This book argues that not only is policy inaction an overlooked part of British politics but also that it is just as important as active policy and can have just as significant an impact on society. Addressing the topic for perhaps the first time, it offers a provocative analysis of ‘do nothing’ politics. It shows why politicians are rarely incentivized to do nothing, preferring hyperactivity.  It explores the philosophical and structural drivers of inaction when it happens and highlights the contradictions in behavior. It explains why Attlee and Thatcher enjoyed lasting policy legacies to this day, and considers the nature of opposition and the challenge of holding ‘do nothing’ policy decisions to account.                                                                                                            

Authors and Affiliations

  • School of Business, London South Bank University; Global Policy Institute, London, United Kingdom

    Stephen Barber

About the author

Stephen Barber is Associate Professor in Public Policy at London South Bank University, UK, where he teaches on its leading Masters in Public Administration programme and a Senior Research Fellow at the Global Policy Institute.  A frequent media commentator, he has published five previous books and numerous scholarly articles.                                                                   


Bibliographic Information

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation