In Government and Out

Abstract

The incoming Labour government appeared to have no doubts about NEDC’s proper function. As George Brown, Secretary of State and head of the newly set up Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), declared in December 1964, ‘In future, planning decisions would be taken in his Department. This did not mean that the role of Council as partner, participator and implementor in the planning process would be in any way diminished. On the contrary, its work would henceforth be much more meaningful’. Shorn of verbiage, this signified that NEDC’s aspirations in the macroeconomic field had been incorporated in the machinery of central government. The great issues of industrial efficiency would be dealt with in the DEA, while the Industrial Advisors, individuals brought in from outside government and appointed by the DEA to sit on the EDCs, would now act as the minister’s eyes and ears inside industry.KeywordsMonetary PolicyPrime MinisterPublic ExpenditureNational PlanWage PolicyThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.