Good and Bad Power

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“Good and Bad Power” explores the ideals and betrayals of government, from the ancient to the modern world.

Geoff Mulgan guides us through political traditions from around the world, and explores the day-to-day moral dilemmas of secrecy, loyalty, peace and war whilst mapping out the common patterns of decay and moral attrition that administrations experience. He shows how often democratic governments have been captures by special interests – and how hard it is to keep them focused on their duties of service.

Recent evidence shows that the quality of government does more to shape human happiness than anything else – more than economic growth, education or health. But few societies have found it easy to get the government they want or need.

Many states remain oppressive, secretive and violent, yet the only thing as bad as states that are too strong, argues Geoff Mulgan, are states that are too weak to protect their citizens from poverty and war. The democracies of western Europe and north America may have found a rough balance, but disillusionment and low trust in politicians still make it difficult for them to get to grips with problems facing their societies. And at a global level, the institutions that could prevent wars, avert global warming and promote human rights lack the legitimacy to act decisively.

Something has gone badly wrong in our relationship with power. Drawing on philosophical argument, historical examples and personal experience working in government, Good and Bad Power explains why this has happened and what can be done.

• How can we make states simultaneously stronger and better?
• How can we make them moral but not indecisive, honest but not ineffective?

Geoff Mulgan argues that morality is not guaranteed by well-crafted constitutions or the personal values of leaders alone, but is dependent on the moral quality of the media, activists, commentators and the public as a whole. Moreover, democracies require constant and vigorous renewal and challenge, usually from outside the political system.

For thousands of years very diverse civilizations have imagined how states could be servants rather than brutal masters. But it is only now that there is a realistic prospect of realizing that dream on a large scale. This book shows us how.

Praise for Good and Bad Power

‘You won’t find a more absorbing dissection of the state we’re in or the world to which it belongs….a dazzling performance.’ Peter Preston, The Observer

‘Mulgan has the enviable ability of getting to the heart of big questions and writing about them with clarity and verve.’ Vernon Bogdanor, Financial Times

‘This is not just another survey of the Western canon from Plato to Nato, but a refreshingly bold attempt to apply insights derived from thinkers from many traditions to the contemporary political condition.’ John Gray, The Independent

‘In this book Geoff Mulgan’s remarkable command of the literature of power ranges not just over the European tradition from Solon to Bobbitt but in a world where western supremacy is being challenged by China, India and Islam over eastern traditions as well. He certainly informs and in his historical analysis illuminates…. He tackles an important subject with a strong sense, not only of its complexities,but also of the eternal fascination of exercising power.’ Robert Salisbury, The Spectator

‘Wonderfully thoughtful and measured…. It crosses centuries, continents, systems and libraries in its search for those ingredients, circumstances and people who, in the more blessed parts of the glo be, have changed predator states that maraud upon their own people to servant states that, more of the time, reflect the aspirations and needs of those who put them there…. A classic which will endure.’ Peter Hennessy, The Tablet

‘Mulgan is in many ways ideally placed to straddle the gap between the theory of politics and its practice… This is not a work of self-justification, nor an act of worship before the altar of power. It is a genuine attempt to understand what makes the difference between a successful state – defined as one which meets the needs of its citizens – and one which is a moral and practical failure. The attempt is readable and contains a lot of striking information … Mulgan is aware of the dangers and corruptions of state power. He describes accurately the self-delusions of political leaders and the paralysis bureaucracy can induce.’ Alasdair Palmer, Sunday Telegraph

‘For a brilliant analysis of the ideals and betrayals, limitations and possibilities of government - and a superb overview of how it has developed over thousands of years - I highly recommend Geoff Mulgan's witty, scholarly and fluent Good And Bad Power: The Ideals and Betrayals of Government (Allen Lane £20).’ Andrew Rawnsley, The Observer