Liberalism as a 'project to be realized'

This paper has been inspired by a suggestion made by Margaret Canovan that liberalism should be understood as a 'project to be realized'. It argues that we should follow Canovan by having an expendet account of what 'liberalism' might be that focuses on the connection between liberal theory and the practices of liberal agency. In this view liberal theorising is an extended reflection on the desirability and possibility of social transformation, and the practice of liberal agency both reflects and enacts this concern. The paper fleshes out these arguments by focusing on one aspect of liberal thought - the ambiguities surrounding the nature of person - and examines how these are reflected in the policies and practices of one liberal agent - the World Bank.