Ben Brice provides an overview of the White Paper,
introduced in May 2011, and considers whether it has gone far
enough in terms of incentivising giving.
The Government's White Paper on Giving comprises a key part
of its 'Big Society' programme. The broader Big Society
policy aims to return to the people control of their community and
individual social requirements and to reduce their reliance on the
state. The Government aims to facilitate this by empowering local
communities, opening up public services to competition and
encouraging social action and greater giving. Government policy on
social action is set forth in the White Paper. Its aim is to
'catalyse a culture shift that makes social action a social
norm', it is not intended to be definitive and 'marks the
beginning of a process of engagement on giving, not the end of
one'.
