Polly Mackenzie

How to afford the state we want State effectiveness and state capacity are not the same thing

A combination of national leadership (in terms of narrative setting) and relational public service design.

howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/how-to-aff...

Excellent piece👇

“… the societies that mobilise most effectively in a crisis are the ones with the deepest social fabric, the highest trust between citizens and institutions, and the most distributed sense of responsibility.”

What to do when the sunlight hardens Crisis makes the strongest case for a different kind of state.

Super post by @pollymackenzie.bsky.social.

Reflecting on the piece I wonder whether a) we can go further/flip it & suggest that in 'good' or 'boom' times we forget those reciprocal & relational things that bind us together; & b) perhaps 'pliability' might be better description than 'resilience'?

V interesting

This is very good

thank you

Plenty of stuff the state needs to do, in good times and bad. But even enforcement requires legitimacy and consent: try to crack down on the black market without community-based intelligence and you will fail.

What to do when the sunlight hardens Crisis makes the strongest case for a different kind of state.

Brilliant, as ever, from @pollymackenzie.bsky.social, this time on resilience and the urgent need for a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between citizen and state in these trying times. All the better for a Louis MacNeice reference too...

howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/what-to-do...

‘We are not, in other words, a resilient society being tested by a single shock. We are a brittle one being hit by several at once.’

What to do when the sunlight hardens Crisis makes the strongest case for a different kind of state.

Time to put the fluffy stuff about community and relationships aside so the grown-ups can take charge?

No: my latest piece explains why this would be a dangerous mistake.

howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/what-to-do...

Repositioning care in economics: concepts, measurement, and policy implications Abstract. Care work, encompassing childcare, eldercare, disability care, household maintenance and emotional support, sustains the human capabilities upon

Repositioning care in economics: concepts, measurement, and policy implications url: academic.oup.com/oxrep/articl...

In praise of friction Getting to grips with an increasingly slippery world

Why we all need a little more friction in our lives - in a slippery age.

howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/in-praise-...

Walk Wheel Cycle Trust About us

The great charity that used to be called Sustrans (and now has a name that I find harder to understand) that focuses on sustainable travel is looking for a new CEO. Overseeing 500 staff and 2000 volunteers. £160k. Apply by 15 March
micro.green-park.co.uk/walkwheelcyc...

Bloated is one up from invisible

I'm blaming @pollymackenzie.bsky.social for this! 😒

OpenSAFELY news: you can apply to do non-COVID research, from today! | Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science We are delighted to announce that - from today - you can submit applications to the OpenSAFELY service for non-COVID-19 studies.

OpenSAFELY is open from today! Huge thanks to all who supported this vast collaboration: whole population GP data; in a productive platform; innovative privacy protections; unprecedented support from professions, privacy campaigners; &c

Now it's over to users!

www.bennett.ox.ac.uk/blog/2026/02...

Super cool

Bring back paragraphs

What counts as evidence? Guest post

This from Nigel Ball on @pollymackenzie.bsky.social's subtack is superb. It asks some basic questions of the way we make policy, the answers to which hold profound implications for government, policy-makers, researchers and educators. 1/2

substack.com/home/post/p-...

But which one is the celebrity?

Help us map disciplines of civic renewal — roles & skills communities need to revitalise civic life Help us map the disciplines of civic renewal — the roles and skills communities need to revitalise civic life If helping us map public sector reform communities wasn’t enough… We’re starting …

NEW @kinship.works for @jrf-uk.bsky.social

Help us map the disciplines of civic renewal

- We know community-led approaches to reviving civic life (Big Local, etc) work

- But we lack understanding of disciplines/professional roles that enable it

What should we look at?

medium.com/kinship-work...

National Gallery to make major cuts in effort to stem ballooning deficit Move could mean fewer free exhibitions and paid-for shows and more expensive tickets

Is it time for a tourism tax if even our biggest arts institutions are struggling this much?

And this is after blockbuster exhibitions (Van Gogh) & successful philanthropy, so think how much tougher it must be for more local-regional galleries and museums
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

So much weight is put behind 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 or 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝘅𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱-𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗰 in policy, but where is 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵-𝗦𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 or 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝘆𝗻𝗲-𝗧𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻.

I only learnt yesterday that a lot of the worlds banknotes are made by a company in Basingstoke, but who is shouting about this?

Here's to you!

And apparently Jammie Dodgers are made in Cwmbran

This is mid The case for getting into the middle of things

I can't get enough of this writing, so good. Thank you @pollymackenzie.bsky.social howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/this-is-mid

This is mid The case for getting into the middle of things

There is something about the word “middle” that triggers discomfort in political and commercial life. We are hunting for unicorns or cherishing our neighbourhood coffee cart.

But the middle isn't middling: the middle is the best bit. My latest piece.

howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/this-is-mid

Strictly is a truly remarkable beast.

pretty happy with this, ngl. apparently I'm more of a cyclist than a feminist these days. intriguing.

hrmph. they look like buttons to me