Character over competence? Ministerial expectations of civil service policy advisers

Collins, Matthew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7458-3593 2026. Character over competence? Ministerial expectations of civil service policy advisers. Presented at: Defending Public Administration in theory and practice - UK Association for Public Administration Annual Conference, Manchester, UK, 9-10 September 2026.

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Abstract

The capacity of civil servants to provide effective policy advice has been a central concern in debates on public sector performance and governance. While existing research has examined the organisational and systemic dimensions of policy capacity, far less attention has been paid to the attributes that ministers themselves value in individual policy advisers. This paper addresses that gap by reporting findings from a Delphi study involving former UK Government ministers, exploring their assessments of the skills and qualities required for effective policy advising. The results show a striking convergence of views across ministerial seniority and policy domains; ministers consistently prioritise dispositions, including judgement, adaptability, trustworthiness, and political awareness, over many of the technical competencies typically emphasised in policy capacity frameworks. While some of these preferences align with existing professional standards for civil servants, others diverge in important ways. These findings contribute to scholarship on policy capacity by foregrounding the ministerial perspective on advisory effectiveness and by highlighting the central role of dispositional competencies in policy work. The paper concludes by considering the implications for civil service recruitment, training, and professional development.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item - unpublished
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) > JN101 Great Britain
Last Modified:	24 Aug 2026 08:33
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/187192

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