ReinventingCollectiveAction:FromtheGlobaltotheLocal

Afternearlytwodecadesofconfusion,areborncollectivismhasbeguntochallengetheneo-liberalorthodoxywhichhasshapedBritishpublicpolicysincethe1970s.Butthisnewcollectivismdiffersradicallyfromthestate-centredcollectivismdeveloped,largelybyandthroughtheLabourParty,intheinter-warandpost-waryears.Itispluralistic,diverseandinternationalist.ItlooksoutwardstotheinstitutionsofglobaleconomicgovernanceandtothesupranationalinstitutionsoftheEuropeanUnion,anddownwardstolocalitiesandregions.Itembracesthetraditionalliberalconcernwithconstitutionalchecksandbalancestoguardagainsttheabuseofstatepower,andthetraditionalChristiandemocraticconcernwithsubsidiarityandpowersharing.Aboveall,itseeksavibrantcivilsociety,withflourishingintermediateinstitutions,somepublic,someprivateandsomemixed,standingbetweenthestateandtheindividual.Whileaddressingdifferentaspectsofthisthemeineachchapter,thebookasawholestakesoutthetermsofanewcollectivismappropriatetotheneedsofthenextcentury.