DISSENT has been established with the backing of a large number of donors who believe we need a new forum for serious analysis of public policy issues in plain and accessible language. DISSENT’s thoughtful and critical discussion of public affairs includes social and economic policy, education, politics, science and the environment, cultural matters, media and the arts.
DISSENT is available three times a year on subscription.
DISSENT is not aligned to any political party or groups, but it reflects the Editors’ views which dissent from the prevailing orthodoxy that the welfare state should be cut back in favour of economic efficiency and unfettered individual liberty. Reducing the government’s role may be liberating for the powerful and rich, but it puts most individuals at the mercy of economic forces beyond their control. The state has a duty to ensure that its citizens have equality of access to education and health services, and a level of income adequate to the basic needs of civilised life. Markets cannot ensure these outcomes even in the richest economies. No society can be truly economically efficient, unless all its citizens are able to express their fullest creative potential in a secure, healthy environment.
