#216 – Ian Dunt on why governments in Britain and elsewhere can't get anything done – and how to fix it
80,000 Hours Podcast · May 2, 2025 · 3:14:52
80,000 Hours Podcast · May 2, 2025 · 3:14:52
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When you have a system where ministers almost never understand their portfolios, civil servants change jobs every few months, and MPs don't grasp parliamentary procedure even after decades in office — is the problem the people, or the structure they work in?
Today's guest, political journalist Ian Dunt, studies the systemic reasons governments succeed and fail.
And in his book How Westminster Works ...and Why It Doesn't, he argues that Britain's government dysfunction and multi-decade failure to solve its key problems stems primarily from bad incentives and bad processes.
Even brilliant, well-intentioned people are set up to fail by a long list of institutional absurdities that Ian runs through — from the constant churn of ministers and civil servants that means no one understands what they’re working on, to the “pathological national sentimentality” that keeps 10 Downing Street (a 17th century townhouse) as the beating heart of British government.
While some of these are unique British failings, we see similar dynamics in other governments and large corporations around the world.
But Ian also lays out how some countries have found structural solutions that help ensure decisions are made by the right people, with the information they need, and that success is rewarded.
Links to learn more, video, highlights, and full transcript.
Chapters:
This episode was originally recorded on January 30, 2025.
Video editing: Simon Monsour
Audio engineering: Ben Cordell, Milo McGuire, Simon Monsour, and Dominic Armstrong
Music: Ben Cordell
Camera operator: Jeremy Chevillotte
Transcriptions and web: Katy Moore
Episodes: 80,000 Hours Podcast
