The return of big government sparks questions for Europe

CRANK UP THE power flowing into a building and the lights shine that much brighter. Without an upgrade in its wiring, though, fuses will soon blow or smoke emerge from unexpected places. Political structures are much the same. A surge in power delights all involved—until some not altogether welcome things start happening.Across the world the political current is swelling. The role of the state is expanding. The pandemic has eroded the already-shaky consensus about the limits of governments’ role in liberal societies. National polities, those age-old edifices, have ample experience navigating such surges and sags. For the European project, a hotch-potch of creaking foundations and shaky extensions improvised over the years, more state power will require a rethink of the institutional cabling that keeps the lights on.