In this clip from the hit British TV series Yes Minister, one official explains to another how to evade blame for failure through the use of five standard excuses. The running theme of the series is that government bureaucracy operates in its own interest.
Yes Minister was cited in the academic journal Economic Affairs as useful in teaching public choice economics, which emphasizes the self-interested character of government. “Conveying the logical consequences of modelling the individual as self-interested in the public sector bureaucracy is not an easy task…This paper argues that Yes Minister provides ideal material for the task.”