Contesting the Australian Way States, Markets and Civil Society

Since the 1980s Australian public policy has been perceived as being in crisis. Many argue that consolidating the market imperative in economic and social policy is the solution. Here, a leading group of writers challenge this view, calling for reassertion of a "mixed" rather than a "market" economy, and for reaffirmation of the egalitarianism that has characterized past Australian social policy. Asking whether economic and social policy can be reintegrated in a shared vision, this groundbreaking book argues the case for reinventing government rather than marginalizing it.