Ministers, Ministerial offices and senior officials frequently work on the assumption that they can ‘manage’ (that is, control the actions of) or at least profoundly influence their stable of semi-autonomous agencies. But what happens when the research evidence, not to mention real life experience, suggest these bodies have many ways to compromise, manipulate or simply not comply with desired central reform directions? What factors are likely to affect agencies’ compliance and under what circumstances? And most importantly, should we be thinking about a new model of interdependence to replace principal-agent?

Professor Sandra van Thiel will discuss what really happens in the to-and-fro between Ministers, departments and public bodies.

• Introduction by Professor John Wanna, Sir John Bunting Chair of Public Administration at ANZSOG and the ANU
• Moderated by Dr Amanda Smullen, Senior Lecturer Policy and Governance, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU

This event is presented by the Australia and New Zealand School of Government and Crawford School at ANU.