Management consultancy: a modern folly?

Reflecting on the growth of state spending on management consultancy this brief article argues that much of this spending has been wasteful or misdirected. Observing that in Britain much of the state’s spending on consultancy has taken place during periods of recession the article argues that spending on consultancy may be likened to spending on public works, or the “follies” commissioned by private benefactors, which traditionally have been designed to maintain levels of economic activity and employment.