Why we need to radically join-up public services more than ever

UK public services are delivered in different and complex ways that create confusion for citizens and officials alike. Multiple delivery chains drive up costs, and in the current fiscal climate, they are a luxury good that we can no longer afford. Drawing on recent work for the 2020 Public Services Commission, Patrick Dunleavy and Avery Hancock untangle the mess and argue that more joined-up working, online ‘disintermediation’ of services and working with citizens are needed to carry the UK forward in the digital era.