I think the role of government in British lives is quite different than here in the U.S.

Since government services is a much greater part of the average Brit, I think a lot of people pay more attention when a white paper is published.

In contrast, here in the U.S. most people view government as inept and dysfunctional. It seems that our government does the minimum to get by which is exemplified by this white paper. I don’t know how people here would react if they published a white paper similar to the U.K. version. Probably disbelief.

Thanks for sharing our posts!

Jonathan

Thank you! This is a very interesting comparison.

I must say that, having lived in London for 3 years (with daily train rides filled with commuters reading daily publications that are typical in the UK), I am not really surprised by the British white paper example. It’s similar in style to other publications I’ve seen there.

But I am a little surprised by the American example – that it is so bland. I must say that I have only visited the US as a tourist. I did not know there could be such a stark contrast between business white papers and government white papers. And can only assume they will evolve into something easier for everyone to read.