Civilizing the State

Reclaiming Politics for the Common Good

Civilizing the State explores the disintegration of the liberal state in the face of rising polarization and corporate power. Drawing on international examples of democratic citizen-powered alternatives, it offers a vision of a partner state that could enable equity and economic democracy, driven by civil society.

The liberal state is dead, long live the partner state

Across the world, the liberal nation state is on its knees. Rising inequality, deep political polarization, and the pervasive power of corporations are tearing apart the social contract and threatening to crush democracy.

Civilizing the State traces the history and development of the liberal state and its changing role from the enabler of capitalism to protector of citizen welfare, to its hollowing out and capture by corporate and elite interests rendering it unfit to addres