This book explains and advances formal axiology as originally developed by Robert S. Hartman. Formal axiology identifies the general patterns involved in (1) the meaning of "good" and other value concepts, in (2) what we value (valueobjects), and in (3) how we value (valuations or evaluations).

Owning the Future: How Britain Can Make it in a Fast-Changing World

Business & Money

Economics

Policy Network

The debate surrounding economic policy in the UK has recently been heavily focused on determining the appropriate response to the financial crisis and recession. There has been less discussion about the nature of the UK’s political economy. Leaving the UK’s model of political economy unchanged is, however, not an option in the modern global economy. The existing model has resulted in an unbalanced economy with relatively low productivity and a structural balance of payments deficit. Without reform, these problems will not go away and could worsen. A debate about what Britain’s new economic model should look like is long overdue. This book—a collaboration between Policy Network and IPPR—aims to fill this gap and poses a series of challenging questions concerning the future of the British economy: 
<ul>
<li>What are the key principles upon which a progressive political economy in the UK should be based?</li>
<li>How can government institutions and the role of the state be reformed to ensure they keep pace with a fast-changing economy?</li>
<li>What can be done to address the market distribution of incomes and assets in order to reduce inequality?</li>
<li>How can the government better support innovation-led growth?</li>
<li>How can businesses be encouraged to engage in and support a new model of capitalism that will require significant changes in the way they behave?</li>
</ul>
 The answers to these questions form a significant contribution to the debates about progressive capitalism and inclusive prosperity and set out a way forward for a new political economy in Britain.

Progressive Capitalism in Britain: Pillars for a New Political Economy

The Catalonian secessionist crisis was the most noticeable event that Spain offered to Western politics in the opening decades of this century. Within this time - characterised as it is by huge technological acceleration, myriad online and trade interactions across multiple levels, high levels of political polarisation, and widespread feelings of collective unease and discontent - the Catalonian secessionist movement has become one of the prevalent topics of public policy and political debate in the European Union. The Catalonian matter is often reduced to a narrative that Catalonian citizens - typically dynamic, engaging and with the wonderful city of Barcelona as their capital - are not at ease with life within Spain and would like to rule their society and to organise their lives themselves. Meanwhile, the central authority in Spain resists any demand for attaining sovereignty. This antagonism has poisoned the relations between regional and central authorities and the conviviality among many Catalonian citizens. This paper explores the existence of other Catalonian citizens who do not usually appear in tellings of this often truncated and over-simplified story. There is great diversity within this group, CatSpanish, a citizenry which recognises and declares a double national identity - both Catalonian and Spanish, to varying degrees for each person - in terms of feelings of belonging.

Fragmented Catalonia: Divisive Legacies of a Push for Secession

History

Tobeña, Adolf

Europe

The role of the state in modern capitalism has gone beyond fixing market failures. Those regions and countries that have succeeded in achieving “smart” innovation-led growth have benefited from long-term visionary “mission-oriented” policies—from putting a man on the moon to tackling societal challenges such as climate change and the wellbeing of an ageing population. This book collects the experience of different types of mission-oriented public institutions around the world, together with thought-provoking chapters from leading economists. As the global debate on deficits and debt levels continues to roar, the book offers a challenge to the conventional narrative—asking what kinds of visionary fiscal policies we need to help promote "smart” innovation-led, inclusive, and sustainable growth.

Mission-Oriented Finance for Innovation: New Ideas for Investment-Led Growth

The economic crisis of recent years continues to have a profound effect on the lives of European citizens. Economically, politically and socially, it has led to fundamental change in many people's lives. In addition to creating new concerns, the crisis has simultaneously exacerbated existing ones, raising profound challenges to the sustainability and success of the European model. This book seeks to examine this new 'social reality' of post-crisis Europe. The authors conclude by exploring what both the EU and national governments can do to restore Europe's strength, sustainability, cohesion and competitiveness in a climate of rising populism.

The Social Reality of Europe After the Crisis: Trends, Challenges and Responses

Diamond, Patrick

Liddle, Roger

Sage Lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy, Daniel

The social and economic shifts of the past few decades have hardened deeply held scepticism and distrust of the establishment . In an age of historically low party membership and identification, voter volatility, rising abstentionism and greater individualism, mainstream parties are struggling to be representative. This book is about the turbulent political scene unfolding in Britain and across western Europe. It focuses on why large swathes of voters feel that politics does not work and how this fuels support for insurgent parties and actors. Drawing on new survey data in the UK, interviews and international case studies, this book shows that people are concerned with the process of politics, not merely its performance. They have a genuine desire for greater political participation in the decision-making process. Setting out a range of democratic innovations to reconnect people with politics, it contends that populism is a warning signal to parties and governments to revisit their approaches to governance and representation. New forms of political engagement should not feel like a threat to formal political systems, but rather as much-needed additions that enrich democracy."

The Populist Signal: Why Politics and Democracy Need to Change

Politics & Social Sciences

Chwalisz The Crick Centre The University of Sheffield, Claudia

Politics & Government

A global comparative overview of pensions systems drawing on examples from around the world.

Towards a New Pensions Settlement: The International Experience

McClymont, Gregg

Tarrant, Andy

We live in a time when trust in government and politicians is in short supply. People claim to be tired of 'experts' and the divide between facts and opinion has been blurred. The art of offering simple solutions to complex problems is tipping the scale away from nuanced, multifaceted answers founded on compromise. Within this context, governments nonetheless need to make difficult decisions, whether it is developing budgets, aligning priorities, or designing long-term projects. It is often impossible to make everybody happy, and the messy business of weighing trade-offs takes place. While sometimes these tricky policy dilemmas are relegated to independent commissions or inquiries, or lately to referendums, a better method exists for solving them. This study of almost 50 long-form deliberative processes in Canada and Australia makes the case that adding informed citizen voices to public decision-making leads to more effective policies. By putting the problem to the people, giving them information, time to discuss the options, to find common ground and to decide what they want, public bodies gain the legitimacy to act on hard choices.

The People's Verdict: Adding Informed Citizen Voices to Public Decision-Making

This collected volume asks whether there might now be another way to reform our economic system to drive inclusive growth without having to return to the failed ideologies of the 20th century.

Beyond Neoliberalism, Nationalism and Socialism: Rethinking the Boundary Between State and Market

The centre left is at a crossroads. Social democracy as a model for social and economic organisation was one of the most remarkable achievements of the 20th Century. Yet today, it comes short of offering attractive and credible new ideas that address the challenges of contemporary societies.Navigating this juncture will be crucial to the centre left’s future as the traditional ties that bound its support unravel. By championing flexible service provision models and a more deliberative form of democracy, progressives can make citizens feel they have a tangible stake in their future.This volume does not claim to have all the answers, but it has gathered ideas which provide the groundwork for reframing the debate. It offers new routes towards a state which is fit for the century it serves and a framework for an engaged and educated citizenry.

New Routes to Social Justice: Empowering Individuals and Innovative Forms of Collective Action

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