Modernity and the State: East, West

by Claus Offe

Clause Offe, one of the most insightful contemporary theorists of society andpolitics, has contributed greatly to our understanding of social policy and the odyssey of advancedcapitalism in the late twentieth century. Modernity and the State, a dozen essays written over thelast decade, develops his earlier lines of interest and extends them to the new societies emergingin Central-Eastern Europe.Offe frames the essays by suggesting that the key question for analyzingpresent-day Western democracies is, Who is in charge? He traces the recent problems of almost allpolitical leaders to four the end of the Cold War, borders that are increasingly porous,"postmodern" social and political trends that make it increasingly difficult to form long-standingcoalitions, and the loss of clear-cut work categories of the sort that once made collective actionfeasible.The essays are divided into four parts. "Modernity and Self-Limitation" explores thecontradictory relationship between modernity and liberty and the possibilities of renewing civilsociety so as to alleviate this contradiction. "State Continuities and Reorientation"applies the concepts and categories developed in the first part to recent policy debates overderegulation, market orthodoxy, and the most effective forms of democratic practice. "The Politicsof Social Welfare," the heart of the book, explores the extent to which market outcomes must beaccepted (in the name of efficiency) or corrected (in the name of justice and equity). "The NewEast" argues that the issue of balancing and correcting market outcomes is as central and contestedin the new market economies of Central-Eastern Europe as it has always been in the West, and thatthe success of democratization will depend on the extent to which the operation of the labor marketis mitigated by appropriate structures of social security.

287 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996