DECISION MAKING REVISITED

Decision Making is a case study of the decision to raise the Bank Rate by 2 per cent (to 7 per cent) on 19 September 1957. Following the decision there were rumours that there had been improper disclosure of information before the official announcement. There was newspaper speculation and Questions were asked in the House of Commons. Later, a Tribunal of Inquiry was set up which found that there had been no improper disclosure but which revealed much not previously known about the way the Treasury and the Bank of England worked, both separately and together. This article reconsiders selected aspects of the original study in the light of files recently released in the Public Record Office and of other publications since the book was published. It includes comments about the availability of files, open government, and the study of public administration in the United Kingdom.