Gamble – författare

Since the election of Tony Blair to the leadership of the Labour party in 1997 and the party's subsequent electoral triumph in 1997 after eighteen years in opposition there has been intense speculation about what the Labour party now stands for. Does the party still have a clear set of values and beliefs which guide it in government? Can it still be described as a social democratic party? Recently Tony Blair has called his political approach a Third Way between new Right and old Labour. The essays in this book by leading authorities on social democracy and the politics of new Labour ask whether new Labour is a complete break with the Labour past and with European social democracy, or whether it should be seen as a powerful restatement of social democratic ideas in a new context.

In his essay “The end of laissez-faire”, Keynes distinguished between the agenda and the non-agenda of government. This book asks how we interpret that distinction today. A ground-breaking collection concerned with rethinking the contemporary role of the state. Comprises essays written by leading scholars and politicians. Looks back at the expansion of the social democratic state in post-war Britain, and at the subsequent challenge to this from neo-liberal ideas and policies. Discusses new doctrines for managing the state, new conceptions of the state, and new ideas for organising the delivery of public services. Covers current concepts, such as the enabling state, and topical issues such as public private partnerships. Goes beyond traditional ‘state versus market’ arguments. Opens up new conceptual and practical territory.