To boldly go – but on a tight budget
Britain's space experts are keeping their fingers crossed that their £250m a year budget won't fall victim to the public spending cuts. Dr David Williams, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, tells Dean Carroll why the sector is such good value for money

The undercover public servant
When Dr Kevan Collins, chief executive of Tower Hamlets Council, became an 'undercover boss' for a TV programme, he found that it would be short-sighted to lose good people and key services for the most vulnerable through cuts. He tells us about his experience

SDSR: the MoD prospect
The defence review will introduce changes and reduce aspirations, but whatever the document says, SDSR will be a foundation for further work, writes Professor Trevor Taylor...

''I believe that our public spending decisions are fair''
Here is the full text of the 'Building the economy of the future' speech by the Chancellor George Osborne at Bloomberg's offices in London in which he said the October spending review will prove how fair the government is

''Go, for God's sake go!'' Our readers speak out on the Audit Commission
When Audit Commission chairman Michael O'Higgins spoke to Dean Carroll about the effectiveness of the body and where its future lay, readers of the Public Servant story online voiced some very strong reactions ...

NHS reform – it's Groundhog Day in full swing
The NHS under the coalition government is in danger of suffering too liberal a dose of conservatism as prevailing market orthodoxies go unchallenged, argues Professor Calum Paton (first published in Public Servant magazine)

Electronic prescribing under a coalition government
With the coalition government bringing in a shift in IT policy, now could be the time for hospitals to tackle e-prescribing, writes Robert Blay, Chief Executive of JAC Medicines

Across the Airwave
NPIA Olympic Programme Director Nick Deyes speaks to Public Service Review's Caroline Pennington about how radio will play a key role in securing the Games…

Is a green revolution in Africa possible?
As humanitarian organisations warn of increasing food insecurity in the Sahel, Gordon Conway, professor of international development at Imperial College London considers the role that the international community can play in achieving, finally, a Green Revolution for Africa

A new breed of politician
Royal tutor, soldier, adventurer, diplomat, TV presenter – Rory Stewart has filled all these roles and more. He tells Matthew George how a mention of David Cameron in The New York Times led him to his latest incarnation as a Member of Parliament

The ITSO crowd
Advances in smartcard technology could sound the death knell for the paper ticket and make journeying by public transport quicker and more reliable, as Public Service Review explores

''Much of what I have to say you might not like''
''How many people in higher education are prepared for a period of consolidation, perhaps even contraction? Because that is what we face,'' Business Secretary Vince Cable has said in his first major speech as a member of the government

It's about trusting the folks
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles explains how the coalition government is setting out to rebalance power and make localism a reality. ''Be in no doubt, the revolution starts here,'' he tells us.

Mastering the universe
The wilderness of the South American desert is providing ideal conditions for the advance of modern astronomical research. Reporting from Chile, Senior Editor Adam Gristwood speaks to astronomers and engineers who are edging ever closer to answering some of the greatest mysteries of the cosmos, and some of the world's leading experts give their thoughts on what is to come next in the 'golden age' of astronomy…

Why we must invest in science in uncertain times
As Science Minister David Willetts delivers his first major speech on science, Sir Roy Anderson, Rector, Imperial College London, urges that investments must be made or the UK economy will suffer as a result