The study of central government has been dominated by the recurring questions of Prime Ministerial versus Cabinet government and civil service versus ministerial power. Using the idea of 'power dependence' this book challenges these simplicities to provide a definitive assessment of - and introduction to - power and policy at the core of British political life. It undermines traditional approaches by demonstrating that power in the core executive is complex, and flows between actors and institutions. The Prime Minister can only exercise power with the support of the Cabinet, and ministers and officials are often partners rather than competitors.

MARTIN J. SMITH is Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Sheffield, UK.

Introducing the Core Executive
Analysing the Core Executive
The Core Executive in Historical Perspective
The Core of the Core: Relations between the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Ministers, Civil Servants and Departments: the Core Executive and Policy Making
Coordinating the Core Executive: the Cabinet Office, the Prime Minister's Office and the Treasury
Reforming the Core Executive
Constraints on the Core Executive
Constitution, State and Core Executive
Bibliography
Index.