Community and the economy

Community and the Economy opposes narrow, individualistic notions of liberty, equality and prosperity. It highlights three fundamental, but badly neglected values: Fraternity, Complementary Association, and Democratic Participation. The author finds that pointers to these values have appeared, surprisingly, even in complex modern economies. A first approximation is when economic interests freely collaborate with each other and government, in the cause of public interests. Although limited and imperfect, this phenomenon of public co operation' is crucial. Conventional thinking and practice are wrong to polarize, as they do, just on competition and state control.

Most of the book then concentrates on the factors which appear to have favoured public co-operation in practice. These include compact economic institutions; processes of disclosure and social monitoring which increase organizational transparency; soci nomic forums; networks for contact social divisions and economic gulfs categories of national emergency play Communitarian beliefs are particularly a part. important. The author concludes, from both conceptual and historical analysis, that all these factors can be built on and developed if we so choose.

This book takes significantly forward the debates on a coherent ideological alternative to the New Right, a reformulated social democracy, a new focus for Christian social, civic humanist and green ideas. Its message is that a lot of long-term changes are needed in our culture, concepts and institutions if what we want is both balanced economic success and a more fraternal, democratic and responsible society.