This chapter seeks to draw a general conclusion by returning to the issues raised in the introduction, in particular the search for a paradigm to fit the times. It explains that the social policy debate has been dominated by the agenda of public service reform for many years, shaped by the influence of neoliberal values and postmodern politics characterised by a lack of an emancipatory vision. It discusses how social democracy represented a compromise between capitalism and socialism during the twentieth century. It notes that civil society has been revitalised in opposition to a resurgent...

This chapter seeks to draw a general conclusion by returning to the issues raised in the introduction, in particular the search for a paradigm to fit the times. It explains that the social policy debate has been dominated by the agenda of public service reform for many years, shaped by the influence of neoliberal values and postmodern politics characterised by a lack of an emancipatory vision. It discusses how social democracy represented a compromise between capitalism and socialism during the twentieth century. It notes that civil society has been revitalised in opposition to a resurgent market determined to subdue it through the power of consumerism and a conservative agenda. It highlights how citizen participation through the promotion of a vibrant civil society is the best hope of democracy in the twenty-first century.