social contract, made by individuals who recognized that only the
establishment of a sovereign power could safeguard them from the
insecurity, disorder and brutality of the ‘state of nature’. In liberal theory,
the state is thus a neutral arbiter among competing groups and individuals
in society; it is an ‘umpire’ or ‘referee’, capable of protecting each citizen
from the encroachment of his or her fellow citizens. The state is therefore a
neutral entity, acting in the interests of all and representing what can be
called the ‘common good’ or ‘public interest’.