The social value of public organisations

The Jane Moody Memorial Event

The purpose, accountability, efficiency and value of public organisations are under increasing scrutiny. There is a view that public organisations should operate more like private organisations, to drive up efficiency, and that markets are good mechanisms for promoting positive change. Focusing on key organisations, such as the NHS, the BBC, universities and museums, this debate will explore and scrutinise the social value of public organisations, how we measure this, and look into a range of themes, including professional trust, performance indicators, funding, and the blurring of the boundary between public and private.

The panel of experts will:

• Sir Alan Langlands, CEO of the Higher Education Funding Council for England
• Mark Wakefield, ex-BBC Trust and Director of Valoro VGW, a management consultant to museums and galleries including the National Portrait Gallery
• Professor Trevor Sheldon, leading health services researcher, University of York
• Caroline Thomson, Chief Operating Officer of the BBC

Chaired by Denise Jagger, the panel will outline the challenges of sustaining public organisations in an age of austerity; the role of the private sector in engaging with public organisations, and the benefits and challenges of publically funded organisations, before opening up the discussion to the public.

Admission: by free ticket only, available from yorkfestivalofideas.com/tickets.