Reinventing the State: Social Liberalism for the 21st Century

Current political debate, including among the Liberal Democrats, has focused on market orientation in economics, social and democratic policy. "The 2004 Orange Book" set out such a policy. "Reinventing the State" is intended to redress the balance. It shows how there are distinct limitations to the market, and that there is still a very clearly designed role for the state. The book will argue for a positioning of the Liberal Democrats which is clearly different from both Tories and Labour, with their perceived obsession with the private sector and with centralised government. This important book, edited and written by influential Liberal Democrats, puts the case for reinventing the state so that it is creative and enabling, rather than centralising and stifling. It will show how a reinvented state can deliver public services, and social, economic and environmental solutions in a responsive, democratic and decentralised manner - a Liberal manner.