Nathan Critch is Research Associate in the Department of Politics, University of Manchester, UK.

• 1. -Introduction.-2.- Why Call a Public Inquiry? Establishing Expected Inquiry Functionality.-3. A ‘Very British’ Answer to ‘Something Must be Done!’ Inquiries and Political Pressure.-4.- Maintaining Autonomy in Difficult Times.-Inquiries within the British Policymaking Style.-5.- From Scapegoats to Systems.-The Changing Role of Inquiries within Post-crisis Blame Games.-6. Inquiries within Patterns of British Governance.-(De)politicisation and the Politics of Containment.-7.-Contending with the Crisis of Democracy.-The Politics of Public Inquiries in the 21st Century.

Nathan Critch is Research Associate in the Department of Politics, University of Manchester, UK.

• 1. -Introduction.-2.- Why Call a Public Inquiry? Establishing Expected Inquiry Functionality.-3. A ‘Very British’ Answer to ‘Something Must be Done!’ Inquiries and Political Pressure.-4.- Maintaining Autonomy in Difficult Times.-Inquiries within the British Policymaking Style.-5.- From Scapegoats to Systems.-The Changing Role of Inquiries within Post-crisis Blame Games.-6. Inquiries within Patterns of British Governance.-(De)politicisation and the Politics of Containment.-7.-Contending with the Crisis of Democracy.-The Politics of Public Inquiries in the 21st Century.

Nathan Critch is Research Associate in the Department of Politics, University of Manchester, UK.

• 1. -Introduction.-2.- Why Call a Public Inquiry? Establishing Expected Inquiry Functionality.-3. A ‘Very British’ Answer to ‘Something Must be Done!’ Inquiries and Political Pressure.-4.- Maintaining Autonomy in Difficult Times.-Inquiries within the British Policymaking Style.-5.- From Scapegoats to Systems.-The Changing Role of Inquiries within Post-crisis Blame Games.-6. Inquiries within Patterns of British Governance.-(De)politicisation and the Politics of Containment.-7.-Contending with the Crisis of Democracy.-The Politics of Public Inquiries in the 21st Century.