How much should the state spend?

How much of our money should the State take and how much should it leave us to spend for ourselves?

Ann Pettifor, a director of Prime Economics Policy Research in Macroeconomics, told Today's John Humphrys: "I don't think there should be a maximum amount."

"At times like this, when the private sector has been weakened ...we want the government to help us acquire security to become more economically secure."

Liam Halligan, economist and Telegraph columnist, said: "I think the state should do a lot less than it does, but I think it should do it better."

First broadcast Today programme 6 December 2014.