Voluntary Action (Works of William H. Beveridge): A Report on Methods of Social Advance

It is the author’s contention that an abundance of voluntary action outside the citizen’s home, both individually and collectively, for bettering his own and his fellows’ lives, are the distinguishing marks of a truly free society. This volume is a study of how such action can be kept alive in the face of the inevitable development of State action and suggests the new forms which co-operation between the State and voluntary Organizations may take, leaving a maximum of freedom and responsibility to the individual.

Voluntary Action is a text of unique value because Beveridge here develops his vision of how a large ‘voluntary action’ sector could function as a type of buffer zone between the state and the market.