Why the third way failed : economics, morality and the origins of the "Big Society" / Bill Jordan.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 205-221) and index.

WHY THE THIRD WAY FAILED; Contents; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Value, virtue and justice; 2. Snap judgements and rational choices; 3. Nature, science and cosmology; 4. What is economics good for?; 5. Moral regulation: rituals, symbols and the collective conscience; 6. In search of a moral compass; 7. Sharing wealth, income and work; 8. Sustaining quality of life; 9. Conclusions; References; Index.

The Third Way is a political position which tries to reconcile right-wing and left-wing politics by advocating a synthesis of mostly right-wing economic policies and some left-wing social policies. This book explains why the Third Way's combination of market-friendly and abstract value-led principles has failed in the UK, and it shows what is needed for an adequate replacement as a political and moral project. The book criticizes the economic analysis on which the Third Way approach to UK policy was founded, and it suggests an alternative to the Third Way's legalistic and managerial basis for the regulation of social relations. Why the Third Way Failed explains how economics misled much of the world's leadership - enabling the crash to happen - and which new ideas might come forward to fill the gap in public policy thinking. As public policy is due to be hit by tremendous cuts, Why the Third Way Failed will be extremely timely in looking for a new way forward.