The ‘Liberal State’: Civil Society and Social Welfare in Nineteenth-Century England ALAN KIDD 1. Prelude: The State and Welfare in 2001. In the ‘mixed economy of welfare’ there has been a recent (post-1970s) shift away from the state and towards the voluntary sector, the market, the individual and the family. Related to this shift has been the hope for a renewal of civil society and preference for the notion of ‘active citizenship’ – as opposed to the ‘concept of the ‘entitled citizenship‘ of the welfare state. Originating with the ‘New Right’ (and rooted as much in fiscal policy as welfare theory) these ideas are now central to the perceived ‘crisis of the welfare state’. They are also related to debates about political culture and the future of democracy. The institutions of civil society are seen as socially integrative; variously, ‘schools’ of civic virtue but also aggregations of interest which assist the process of articulation crucial to active participation in politics and society. 2. States of Welfare. Such a broad rethinking of the welfare role of the state suggests a need to recast historical understanding of the welfare past. Firstly, it requires a revision of ‘whiggish’ histories that see the Welfare State as a culmination of the path ‘from individualism to collectivism’. Rather, the ‘classic’ British Welfare State of 1948-c.1979 begins to look like an exception to the historical rule. Secondly, we need to look again at past ‘states of welfare’. The ‘mixed economy of welfare’ idea allows us to revisit the 19th century and understand more clearly the relative role of the ‘Liberal State’ in welfare provision. We can also use history to help us get a firmer grip on what is happening in the welfare present. One concept links the 19th century to the present – that of the ‘Enabling State’. 3. The ‘Enabling State’. According to an influential study of contemporary American welfare, the ‘Enabling State’ has succeeded the ‘Welfare State’. Operating within the mixed economy of welfare it performs Four Welfare Functions: 1. Subsidising market approaches, 2. Regulating private activity through standard setting measures, 3. Addressing normative expectations of individual and family responsibility, 4. Providing an adequate level of aid and social protection for those in need. (Gilbert & Gilbert, The Enabling State: Modern Welfare Capitalism in America, 1989. pp. 171–2). Apart from Journal of Historical Sociology Vol. 15 No. 1 March 2002 ISSN 0952-1909 ß Blackwell Publishers Ltd 2002. Published by Blackwell Publishers, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.