Governance Coordination Challenges in the UK’s ‘Mission-Led Government’

This article assesses the extent to which ‘mission-led government’ (MLG) offers solutions to the UK’s governance coordination challenges. By setting goals that stimulate multi-actor responses, MLG aims to tackle cross-cutting societal challenges, such as public ill-health, environmental degradation, and stalling growth. Through analysis of policy documents, using the government’s health mission as a core example, this article considers MLG against five governance coordination challenges: (i) over time, (ii) between policy priorities, (iii) across government agencies, (iv) across different tiers of government, and (v) between state and non-state actors. The impact of MLG varies across these challenges: there are examples of progress in coordination over time and across government tiers, but significant limitations and ambiguities across the MLG agenda as a whole. A core problem is that mission-oriented policymaking is interpreted as a solution to coordination challenges, when it is better understood as a framework within which solutions can be developed.