The age of individualism is passing. The past 50 years in the West saw a celebration of unfettered freedom. Citizens on both sides of the Atlantic were encouraged to liberate themselves from the relational constraints of family, history and even nature. Now Covid-19 has highlighted our mutual dependence on one another and a desire for community.
President Joe Biden is now deploying unprecedented fiscal resources to repair the damage wrought by four decades of market fundamentalism. First the $1.9tn American Rescue Plan to kickstart the economic recovery from the pandemic. This is to be followed by an enormous programme of investment aimed at infrastructure, research, net carbon zero, childcare, education and health. Whereas Ronald Reagan in the 1980s saw government as the source of political and social problems, Biden considers it as the solution to them.
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