Can Civil Society Replace the State?

Since the late 1970s, two visions of the state have clashed between the proponents of a lean state, limited to its sovereign powers, and the defenders of the welfare state model. Nowadays, citizens seem more and more reluctant to abandon this thinking to political representatives whom they are increasingly suspicious of. Are we witnessing a crisis of governance? If so, how can we question, analyse and better take public opinion into account? How to ensure the pedagogy of the reforms undertaken? Are political representatives at national level really disconnected from local realities?

The current context of fiscal rigour reinforces the temptation to reduce the scope of government action. Other players, new or pre-existing, can then take over to provide services that are no longer covered: NGOs, businesses, unions, etc. But what is the legitimacy of private agents to carry out public service traditional tasks? Can we anticipate and trust the effectiveness of these actors’ actions? Is the role of the intermediary bodies being reinvented?