Reinventing civil society: The rediscovery of welfare without politics (Choice in welfare series)

Reinventing Civil Society criticises the hard-boiled economic rationalism of the Thatcher years. Thatcherite emphasis on the 'vigorous virtues' of self-sufficiency, energy, and adventurousness was necessary to halt Britain's economic decline, but there was a missing ingredient: the 'civic virtues' of solidarity, service to others, duty and self-sacrifice. "The chief thing this important book does is to show the part which voluntary organisations can play in contemporary societies. David Green...shows with a wealth of historical detail how the spontaneously emerging voluntary organisations of Victorian times...were undermined and virtually eliminated by state-sponsored charity." Professor Lord Skidelsky. "Reinventing Civil Society takes us back to fundamentals. It reminds us that the dispersion of power, rather than material self-interest as such, is the essence of a free-market economy imbued with the idea of liberty. It underlines the connection between liberty and personal responsibility and, therefore, emphasises the moral foundations of a free society...David Green's book is essential reading for those really concerned with social issues." Professor Harold Rose, London Business School. "Thatcherism has been criticised by the Institute of Economic Affairs ...for placing too much emphasis on the economy at the expense of a sense of community." The Times "a new Institute of Economic Affairs paper argues that the self-help ethos of the Thatcher years must now be expanded into a wider concept of civic duty." The Daily Telegraph. "Thatcherism failed to address 'the deeper questions facing any civilisation', a free-market think-tank ...says." The Guardian.