The prime preoccupation of the coalition government has been to manage the fallout from the global financial crisis. This remains very much an ongoing concern, and a creative and flexible policy mix is necessary.

In this paper, the coalition business secretary Vince Cable provides a detailed account of how the government has worked, and will continue to work, to reduce the deficit, rebalance the economy and promote growth.

"There is a lot of uncertainty about the economy, globally and in the UK. The issue is how to maintain growth in the face of weakening demand. The Government has a key role in stimulating growth and the essay describes what is being done and could be done, consistent with achieving UK fiscal stability and with the overall strategy for maintaining policy credibility.

"It is not ideology but sound economic theory and I have always believed in the value of politicians engaging in the intellectual as well as political debate.

"I look forward to reading the essays that follow in this series from CentreForum. There is a wealth of ideas and experience that the Government wants to drawn on in the years ahead as we get the economy back on course.”

- Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

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