The Myth of Treasury Control Public Spending in an Incoherent State

David Richards, Diamond Professor of Public Policy, University of Manchester,Sam Warner, Lecturer in Politics, University of Bristol,Diane Coyle, Bennett Professor of Public Policy, University of Cambridge,Martin J. Smith, Anniversary Professor of Politics, University of York

David Richards is Diamond Professor of Public Policy at the University of Manchester and former Head of the Department of Politics. His research interests span political institutions, governance, British politics, public policy, and political biography. He has authored or edited six books and over 70 articles and chapters. He previously held academic posts at the Universities of Birmingham, Liverpool, and Sheffield, and has been a Visiting Fellow at both Sydney University and the Australian National University. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Sam Warner is a Lecturer in Politics in the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies at the University of Bristol. He is the author of Who governs Britain? Trade Unions, the Conservative Party and the failure of the Industrial Relations Act 1971. His research focusses on the study of power in British politics, drawing on models of (multi-level) governance and theories of state management to explore the big distributional questions of public policy and political economy. He has previously held posts at the Universities of Manchester, York and Birmingham.


Diane Coyle is Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. She was previously Professor of Economics at Manchester University and she is a member of the UK Government's Industrial Strategy Council and advises the Competition and Markets Authority. She has served previously in various public service roles, and began her career at HM Treasury. Diane was awarded a DBE in 2023 for her contribution to economics and public policy. She was a student at Brasenose College, Oxford, reading PPE (1978) and has a PhD in Economics from Harvard (1985).

Martin J. Smith is Anniversary Professor of Politics at the University of York where has been Head of Department and Pro-vice chancellor. He is also a visiting fellow at the Institut Barcelona Estudis Internacionals. He has published widely on British politics, public policy, and state reform and is author/editor of 14 books and over 70 articles and book chapters. He is currently holder of a Leverhulme Major Fellowship on the rise of the chaotic state. He has previously held positions at the Universities of Kent, Brunel, and Sheffield.

Part I. The Treasury, Fragmentation, and Spending Control1. Introduction2. De-mystifying Treasury Control: From Micro-Manager to Meta-Governor3. Treasury Control, Fragmented Governance, and the Incoherent StatePart II. The Six Challenges of Public Spending Planning and Control4. The Treasury as a Meta-Governor: Over-Control and Under-Control5. The Consequences of Short-Termism6. The Challenge of Cross-Government Working7. The Treasury and Evidence-Based Policy-Making8. The Inefficiency of Treasury 'Input Control' in Performance Budgeting9. The Failure of Accountability for Public Money in an Era of Fragmented Governance10. ConclusionAppendix: Full Breakdown of Interviewees