The state, civil society and social policy: setting a research agenda

In an intellectual context where the once-dominant notion of the state as an instrument of egalitarianism and emancipation is now widely challenged and the once-unfashionable concept of civil society has found new favour as an alternative instrument of delivery from poverty, this article queries the conceptualisation of civil society as an alternative to the state. It casts doubt on two perspectives—one which regards civil society as a democratising force and second, that which posits it as an instrument of effective social policy. It does not, however, seek to dismiss civil society's role but rather alerts readers to the limits to civil society's use as a category for explanation and strategy. It is similarly cautionary on the decline of the state. While accepting that the state is unlikely to return to the classical and omnipotent role once assigned to it by scholars, the article suggests the possibility of the emergence of an effective post-twentieth century state in which non-state actors will play an important role.