Society and the state

“Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.” - George Bernard Shaw

We spend way too much time talking about the state or governments just because they are big and noisy.

The types of questions we ask are: what it should provide us in need? What it should invest in? What it should stop or regulate?

The state really does matter and has been invested strong powers but the state is not the whole country. I think our relentless focus on the state forgets society.

In a previous blog, I talked about the 'blame game'. This is the tendency for people to call out government policies like immigration, foreign trade, or big business as the bogeyman, but rarely do we speak of the decay of our society.

What is society

A great deal of what makes a country great happens well outside of the state. Parents read to children. Family and neighbours look after the elderly, disabled or injured. The local businesses produce goods or provide services. Friends spend time with those around them socially creating a fabric of community for good times and help during the bad times.

That is society. Local and relationship-driven. Very different from the state.

A functioning society balances rights and responsibilities. Something as simple as everyone bringing a dish or bottle to a street party. Freedoms to enjoy the party sit alongside duties to contribute. Rather than contracts and laws, over time people develop ledgers of goodwill, through helping and willing to receive help.

How the state differs from a society

The state is different. It is remote from most people’s daily lives, and many decisions are made for whole populations rather than individual communities. It operates at a distance which makes it formal and blunt. It is great for defining minimum standards and enforcing them and providing a safety net, but that's not enough for a country to run on.

No state can cultivate contribution. It cannot enforce neighbourliness, duty, respect. Those must come from culture, family, norms and civic life.

A world without society

The presence of rights without responsibilities creates free-riders. Those who can work but choose not to, those who benefit from laws but do not abide by them. Those who expect to be cared for in their old age, but do not care for others themselves.

Thankfully our society is in tact, for now. We lean heavily on unsung heros. Looking after elderly parents, disabled relatives, vulnerable spouses and raising children into our future leaders. Without that hidden layer of duty and sacrifice, the formal care system would be overwhelmed. There are many examples of this.

Volunteering tells a similar story. Sports clubs, community groups, school activities and religious institutions are feats of organisation that do not touch government. They run because people give time, energy and reliability to things.

Re-thinking the state

In other words, the state rests on top of society. Its real role is narrower than political debate usually suggests. Its job is not to make everything work. Its job is to solve co-ordination problems: things individuals, families and communities cannot solve well on their own. The army, courts, police, A&E and the railways require a co-ordinating force.

Those are large and serious tasks. But they are not the same thing as creating a good country. Countries depend on societies and societies depend on trust that people will do things they are not legally forced to do but know they ought to do anyway. If we agree on this, many modern frustrations look different and more 'blamey'.

An overburdened state might be the result of individuals not doing what they can, like going out to work or paying their fair share of tax. Public services might feel stretched because people's expectations are bigger than their contributions and worse, book an appointment and do not turn up.

For sure there is poor policy, weak leadership and rigid institutions, but the current 'Disneyland' politics on all sides of the political spectrum do not wish to unpick the problem that is far closer to home: we (on average) are taking more than we are giving, turning up to the street party empty-handed.

That is playing out across the country. Families do less for their elders and the state must do more. Neighbours want to stop each other building new houses and therefore the planning bureaucracy is growing. Volunteering is falling with paid systems needing to fill the gap. Able citizens are not putting their hands up for civic leadership roles but then complain when the calibre of leadership goes down.

This is not a stable basis for a liberal society. Clear rights are of course important, but rights only work properly inside a culture of responsibility. Otherwise they become tools for taking from the common pot whilst it lasts.

That is why I think we emphasise the state wrongly. Below are two equations that I think simplify how things work:

Countries = Society + State

Society = Rights + Duties + Participation

As states have expanded, societies have shrunk (I'm not suggesting causality here). The society has shrunk to such an extent that any state (inefficient at many things as it is) cannot cope. Much of what holds societies together, whether family obligations, religion, pubs or local organisations are in full blown retreat.

So the question is not only whether the state is too big or too small, it is also whether society is strong enough. Without a serious rethink of getting our society to function better, any state will be set up for failure.

Where is the political party of us getting this to work again?

So what?

• A society is not the same thing as the state. Society is made of relationships, obligations, trust and contribution. The state is a formal apparatus for rules, enforcement and co-ordination.

• The state is good at setting minimums but not inspiring civic contribution.

• Rights without responsibilities create space for free-riding. There are many willing to coast off the effort, tax, care and discipline of others without feeling obligation in return.

• That pushes all the weight onto conscientious and productive citizens and weakening the culture that makes a country sustainable.

• A better balance would be to emphasise duty, contribution and reciprocity as a social bedrock on which a state can lay upon.

Next week, will be "A bill of responsibilities". As always get the blog delivered directly to your inbox on Home | Deciders | for mental fitness | change your mind.