By Neil O’Brien & Ross Clark

The Renewal of Government is a short analysis of the many issues facing Britain today. It recommends a root-and-branch reform of public policy, and shows in detail how to implement it.

This book proposes many different ways to make public sector organisations more dynamic and less bureaucratic. It looks at whether there are alternative, non-statist ways to achieve the objectives of public policy. And a consistent theme throughout the book is the need to swap central targets and  controls for the right structures and incentives.

Across many different fields we find that the answer is to devolve control and accountability to the local level. We find that government policy fails whenever it does not enable people and communities to take responsibility for their own lives.

So in the end, the central message of the book is that central government cannot solve all of our problems, and must instead set us free to improve our own lives and communities.