The initiative for reform and regulation in English society in the years following the Glorious Revolution of 1688 lay with powerful forces outside the state - with local government, interest groups and voluntary societies. In putting forward this challenging new argument, the authors of this book throw fresh light on to the social and economic processes that influenced a critical period in English history and introduce the radical concept of the 'reactive state'.

An extensive introduction surveys the social, political and economic context of the period, reviews the historiography and outlines the contributors' new approach. In the sequence of seven case-studies that follows the authors analyse the impact of reform on industry, crime, poverty and immorality. The coverage is detailed and wide-ranging, from legislation in the gin and textile industries to the reformation of manners in London and measures to curb the rise in crime.

The strong central theme and the distinctive contributions of a group of scholars who are experts in their field will make the book essential reading for historians and for serious students of England in the eighteenth century.