Ministers and their ministries are the means by which we hold government accountable for providing vital public services such as adequate health, education, and social security benefits. In this provocative book the author systematically examines the persisting and changing features of Whitehall ministries since 1945. Three case studies - the Scottish Office, the Welsh Office, and the Northern Ireland Office - provide detailed illustrations of the complexity of the issues involved.

Professor Rose's analysis raises fresh questions about the priorities of politicians as individuals, and about public priorities involving tens of billions of pounds and millions of public servants. His concluding chapter argues that Mrs Thatcher's attempt to introduce techniques of business management into government is based upon a fundamental misunderstanding of the priorities of ministers and ministries.