Social Democracy
Democratic Politics beyond the Third Way
Social democrats have a strong claim on democracy, and for good reason. First, their opposition to Soviet-style communism and their commitment to parliamentary democracy marked the beginning of their journey towards power.
Second, as soon as the alliance with the liberals fulfilled the goal of equality in political representation for the working class, they set their [...]
Europe at the Crossroads: It’s Now or Never!
The European Union is one of the grandest projects in human history – the creation of a new economic, and eventually social, super-state out of the ashes of post-war despair. The founders had a cunning plan: They would create an economic imperative around the production of essentials such as coal and steel, convinced that a [...]
A Faith Betrayed – The Hungarian Left and the State
Major portions of the democratic left always had mixed feelings regarding the state’s power. For the democratic left’s instinctive anti-authoritarian tendencies, the leviathan that is the modern state today should be inherently suspect. Though such doubts do flare up occasionally – especially among the liberal intelligentsia and young leftists (i.e. the non-working class segments of [...]
The Future of Social Democracy is European
Social Democracy has always been an idea and a strategy of social change. As a progressive movement it has always been on the offensive. When in the 1980s market-radical theories, supported by neo-conservatives and neo-liberals, began to dominate public opinion, the defensive mechanisms of social democracy proved to be rather poor. There was scattered resistance, [...]
The Greek Drama and the Social Justice of Responsible Fiscal Policies
I do not envy our Greek socialist friends. They got elected because the previous conservative government was catastrophically incompetent, but the mess they now have to sort out is worse than the wildest imaginations could have predicted. This is not just a local problem. The fate of the euro, and therefore of Europe, hangs in [...]
Principles of a Social Democratic Internet Policy
Social democratic parties have had a difficult time adjusting to the internet age. They have severe difficulties in understanding in what way – positive and negative – online technologies penetrate people’s lives. The age structure of parties is an additional obstacle as different generations tend to use the internet differently.
When parties have dealt with online [...]
The Cleavage within Europe
One of the striking characteristics of the Good Society Debate was an often fundamentally different assessment between contributors from North, West, and Southern Europe and those coming from Central and Eastern Europe. To be very clear, we do not want to blame anybody for their views or analyses, but it is important to stress that [...]
Where now? The Future of European Social Democracy
Moving on from the analysis of social democracy’s plight, the future of social democratic politics in Europe was the focus of attention for many contributors to the Good Society Debate. Changes to the general approach of social democracy appeared necessary to some authors. Stefan Berger of Manchester University for instance stressed the need for a [...]
The Origins of the Social Democratic Crisis
Many authors took the opportunity of the Good Society Debate to discuss the origins of the social democratic crisis in Europe and two questions in particular: First, why did the economic crisis not benefit social democrats but seemed to have had the opposite effect? And second – partially related to the first question – why [...]
We want your Ideas! Where now for Social Democracy?
The Good Society Debate and the Good Society Conference provided some valuable starting points for the debate about the future of social democracy. But social democracy is not about a group of politicians, activists and academics. It is about you!
We would therefore like to invite you in this open thread to give us your views [...]
Social Democracy and Happiness
Many have argued that the current crisis of social democracy is due to the lack of a vision – so where can one look for inspiration? A new academic discipline has emerged over the last years at the intersection of economics, psychology, political science and sociology: the science of happiness. Responding to criticism of Gross [...]
The Good Society Conference – Opening Session
On 21st and 22nd January 2010 more than 50 participants from almost 20 countries participated in the Good Society Conference organised by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation London and Compass. The conference was based on the issues discussed during the Good Society Debate.
We’ll post a series of conference videos. Watch the opening session below.
And the debate [...]