"The public – the ruled – however are made up of individuals and civil society groups seeking individual and collective goods and services, and space/time to enjoy them. That's what we mean by living standards; by well-being. Rather than oecomomising and obfuscating, liberal governments should facilitate and mediate, promoting equity and efficiency (which are not opposites, as some economics textbooks claim). Democratic development is bottom up."
#KeithRankin, 2022
Sounds like an argument for the "partner state" advocated by Michel Bauwens and others.