Participle

We're launching our mission statement this week, we call it Beveridge 4.0. It is a brief but fundamental critique of the current condition of the UK's welfare state. At Participle, we believe as many others do, that its condition is critical. An outdated system, that cannot solve the problems we now face. A system dominated by large institutions, not the individuals who use them. Things are not going to get better. What hurts the most, is that the man widely regarded as the architect of our welfare state, William Beveridge, in the later part of his life, predicted the situation we now find ourselves in.

And, what a situation we are in. At the time of writing, last week, one of America's largest financial institutions went bust, and another was effectively nationalised. In Britain, similar events were/are unfolding. Global stocks are making record falls, oil prices are rising in unprecedented daily jumps. A financial crisis has unveiled the short falls of capitalism. In the process, capitalism and the state have had an almost unprecedented strain put on their relationship. As we experience the unease of watching apparently solid institutional foundations all too easily turn liquid, we're revisiting our faith in the state. In times of trouble, we look to the state for support, from heavy intervention to new regulations. But, for many of us, our faith in the state took a similar bashing some years ago. For Britain's growing inequality and social recession have revealed the short falls in our welfare state. Shortfalls that have not been met by introducing elements of the market, or by trying to make the state more 'personal'. What is needed we argue is a very different set of arrangements which start from a local perspective with individuals and families, building a new set of capabilities, drawing on a wider set of resources and supported by very different institutions.

Participle runs large scale projects that address the big social issues of our time, while demonstrating how a new welfare settlement might operate. Our work has made a big difference in some communities, but Participle is a small group of designers, policy analysts, social scientists and entrepreneurs based in South London. We need the help of others to inform our thinking, and doing. This document draws on our work with and for the public at the community level - it is in this broadest sense collaborative, and it will evolve collaboratively. Therefore, this document is written with an Open Source process in mind. It is just version 1. In 2009, we will launch Version 2, including all the relevant opinions, suggestions and contributions from people like you. This is the spirit of Beveridge 4.0. This document outlines a starting point, no more. Be part of this journey. We will be developing different ways to canvas involvement in Beveridge 4.0. For now, we ask you to comment on this blog. We promise to collate all comments, and where relevant develop them as themes in Version 2.

The size of the task seems daunting, but at Participle, we see the giant Capitalism evolving before us, and see no reason why a similar transformation cannot take place within the welfare state. It's not unbelievable.

Download Beveridge 4.0 here.