The Politics of Civil Society

This is an indispensable book for anyone who wants to make sense of the bewildering recent shifts in ideology and policy towards the welfare state, and to understand the broader political implications of civil society.The Politics of Civil Society offers a wide-ranging analysis of recent shifts in the ideas andparadigms that underpin social policy. Since the 1980s the renaissance of civil society has introduced new ideas about the nature of power, citizenship and human rights, which radically challenge the dominance of the state, the power of professionals andthe welfare system itself.Frederick Powell traces the historical roots of these apparent changes and movements, demonstrates in detail their often paradoxical results and speculates about the whole future of social policy. He has produced an entirely original synthesis, as well as a major guide to social policy, that goes well beyond traditional interpretations of civil society as the voluntary and community sector.This is not just a book for the specialist reader but raises a whole range of issues of much wider interest to the social sciences. A concluding chapter on the practical and policy implications of the analysis is of special relevance to welfare practitioners and policy-makers.