Truth about Lord Barber
Lord Michael Barber, one of the world’s leading experts in the improvement of the effectiveness of public administration, will deliver a course of lectures in December at the HSE Faculty of Public Administration . HSE Vice-Rector Isaak Frumin spoke to us about this.
- Is it true that Lord Barber from England will give a master class at the HSE?
- No, this is not true. Lord Barber will not give a master class. He will become a professor of the Higher School of Economics. He has already accepted our proposal. In December he will begin teaching a regular course at the HSE Faculty of Public Administration.
Lord Barber is one of the world's leading experts in imroving the effectiveness of public administration. He used to be the Chief Adviser to the Secretary of State for Education on School Standards and organized a world renowned project to increase the literacy rate, considered to be the most effective educational reform project in the second half of the 20th century. After that he worked for 6 years in the British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Cabinet as Head of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit. The Unit's task was to improve the quality and effectiveness of state services. As part of this position Michael Barber gained many supporters, became a Lord and also angered a substantial number of opponents who called him an ‘indicator fanatic'. That is because he was one of the first people in the world to develop indicators of government effectiveness. Indicators of effectiveness will be a key part of the course that Michael Barber will start teaching in December for undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Faculty of Public Administration. The course will be delivered in two stages: in December and in May. This will be an ordinary supplementary course. The only difference is that it will be in English and there will be a competition procedure for students wishing to participate.