Does the State need to reinvent itself ?

Since 1945, the State has taken on different faces, constantly reinventing itself. At first, the welfare state was the provider of social needs, but it also took on the role of economic planner. In the 1980s, with the liberalization and globalization of economies, the State took a back seat, almost becoming a minimalist.

By the end of the twentieth century, precisely because of the upheavals created by globalization and mankind, the State had taken on missions that went far beyond the economy and its traditional sovereign functions. Skyrocketing inequalities have put social justice at the heart of its missions; from finance to artificial intelligence, protective regulation has become its prerogative; and, of course, the climate emergency has become one of its central missions. During the Covid crisis, the State reinvented itself once again, becoming, in the eyes of some, a “nanny state”. However, particularly in view of its indebtedness, the possible sustainability of its actions raises questions, at a time when some are questioning the extent to which interventionism is eroding freedoms. What should the new face of government be? Must it constantly adapt to the population?