The Return of the State

Bringing together some of the brightest and most-engaged thinkers in the UK, this book presents a raft of policy proposals capable of generating a new social settlement and a long-term, equitable economic recovery post-pandemic. It offers both a vision of a future Britain and a roadmap to getting there. Pushed by the Covid-19 crisis, the UK government has borrowed massively to save jobs, businesses and the economy from collapse, making a mockery of the austerity policies that it had championed for a decade. As a result the role of the state is now in sharp focus. The contributors assess what that role should be and how it should be harnessed for the good of the British people in all four of its nations. The call is for nothing short of a new settlement and a complete redesign of the economy. The contributors argue passionately and persuasively for a state that is properly funded, one that looks after its citizens regardless of age, class or ethnicity and enables them to live well. To do this requires the establishment of a functional, fair and green economy managed with a social and public purpose.