Hilary Cooper is a former government economist and senior policy maker with expertise in labour markets, children's services and local development. Her current freelance work examines the challenges of ageing. She was the joint winner of the 2019 IPPR Economics prize for the essay Incentivising an Ethical Economics, with Simon Szreter and Ben Szreter. Simon Szreter is Professor of History and Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, researching economic, social and public health history. His publications include Health and Wealth, which won the American Public Health Association's Viseltear Prize, and Sex before the Sexual Revolution, longlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize. He is co-founder and editor of History & Policy.

'… original and compelling.' Will Hutton, The Observer

• Introduction; Part I. COVID-19 was always a matter of 'when' not 'if'; 1. The extraordinary history of pandemic control; 1.1 An ever-present threat; 1.2 The myth of progress; 1.3 How pandemics spread; 1.4 Pandemics and the changing role of the state: from divine to human responsibility; 1.5 A plague on all our houses – learning to control pandemics; 2. Pandemics are not random 'Black Swans'; 2.1 We were expecting a pandemic, so why was the UK so unprepared?; 2.2 Your money or your life; 2.3 Light at the end of the tunnel; Part II. Why COVID-19 was a perfect storm; 3. The fragile society of a neoliberal state; 3.1 The neoliberal project; 3.2 The capture of democracy; 3.3 How COVID-19 was able to wreak havoc; 3.4 A 'Just in time' health service; 3.5 A 'Cinderella' social care service; 3.6 A diminished state; 4. Inequality saps resilience; 4.1 Inequality and the laissez faire state; 4.2 'This is not an easy life any more, chum'; 4.3 Are we bothered?; 4.4 It's the economy stupid; 4.5 The 'Burning Injustices'; 5. The pandemic onslaught; 5.1 Those who lived and those who died; 5.2 The tattered safety net; 5.3 The COVID generation; 5.4 Where's next?; 5.5 Looking to the future; Part III. COVID-19 and the choices we now face; 6. 'Too big to fail?' – we need a payback this time; 6.1 Lessons from the 2007–08 financial crash; 6.2 What does all this have to do with a 2020 pandemic?; 6.3 A first look at the winners and losers; 6.4 Securing the pandemic payback – how are things looking this time?; 6.5 Is the old order beginning to crack?; 7. No time for austerity now; 7.1 So we found the magic money tree; 7.2 When austerity was in vogue; 7.3 Let's just put it on the tab; 7.4 Storm clouds ahead?; 8. Who has the deepest pockets?; 8.1 A better future and a proactive state; 8.2 Will we find the pot of gold?; 9. Re-thinking welfare; 9.1 Is it time for a no-strings attached Universal Basic Income?; 9.2 'Dignity and Security'; 9.3 Universal services; 9.4 Who cares?; 9.5 What of later life?; Part IV. After the virus – Who do we want to be?; 10. Casting aside the neoliberal state; 10.1 Homo Economicus and the myth of rationality; 10.2 History and Morality; 11. The birth of a collectivist individualism; 11.1 How Elizabeth I gave us the world's first welfare society; 11.2 The turn away from collectivist individualism after 1834; 11.3 The Boer War and the 'New Liberal' reforms; 11.4 Slaying the giants – Beveridge and the 'Golden Age'; 11.5 Wealth, redistribution and progressive taxation; 11.6 What lessons can we take from history?; 12. An empowering state to build a nurturing society; 12.1 What does it mean to have an empowering state?; 12.2 Freedom and the state; 12.3 Collective commitment to a nurturing society; 12.4 The case for fair and progressive contributions; 12.5 Democratic participation and devolved power; 12.6 Our natural environment and the empowering state; 13. Seven Pillars of Empowerment; 13.1 A Nurturing Society: Respect and inclusive support for all; 13.2 Ethical Capitalism: Working with business to redefine our values; 13.3 Fair Contributions: Full participation by the prosperous; 13.4 Open Public Discourse: Enabling all voices to have an equal hearing; 13.5 Measuring what we value: Signalling the changes we need; 13.6 A Sustainable Future: Responsible stewardship of our planet's resources; 13.7 Participatory Politics: Reviving democracy and civic engagement; 14. Greater even than a pandemic; 14.1 Conclusion.