Both organisations, of course, are non-partisan and have taken all the usual measures to comply with the rules pertaining to educational and charitable bodies. Though prominent politicians from all three parties are associated with them, it is realistic to comment that their main thrust is to promote the Liberal Democrat vision of a polity in which coalition governments are the norm, the dominance of Conservatives and Labour is destroyed and the role of experts and civil servants increases.

In 2009, as the time for a general election approached and the Tory lead in the polls declined, the attractive possibility of a hung parliament excited the reformers. If the Liberal Democrats held the balance of power, this could provide the opportunity to force one or other of them to agree to electoral reform, which could transform their fortunes.

Through 2009, Hazell worked with the Institute for Government to produce a report Making Minority Government Work. A feature of the study was the personal contact of the lead authors with the Cabinet Secretary. At the same time, Peter Riddell, the highly respected assistant editor of The Times, was also associated with the Institute's work. Before the election, Riddell divided his time between journalism and employment at the Institute for Government. He left The Times after the 2010 election to work there full-time. 

By the summer of 2009, the Institute for Government and Constitution Unit teams were meeting with O'Donnell and other officials. In October and November 2009, Riddell and Hazell were the lead authors of two reports on transitions and on minority governments published by the Institute for Government. 

Around the same time, Ditchley Park, a secluded country house near Oxford, provided the setting for an important gathering at which they rolled out their findings. During the Second World War, Churchill had repaired to Ditchley at weekends when a full moon made Chequers too tempting a target for the Luftwaffe. In recent years, it has been a gathering place for high-level Anglo-American and other conferences. The stated purpose of the meeting of November 5-7, 2009, was to compare governmental transitions in the UK and the USA. The innocent title was "Managing the machinery of government in periods of change." The presence of the Queen's private secretary, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Conservative politicians, later to be the most closely associated with the post-2010 coalition government, and carefully selected constitutional experts indicated that there might be an additional agenda. The Institute for Government was strongly represented.