debating progressive politics in Europe and beyond
Paul Taggart assesses the challenge of populism to European democracy. He argues that while populism can have significant negative effects on representative politics, the demonisation of populist parties is self-defeating. Rather than tackling populism as a concept, it is important to deal substantively with the issues raised by populist politicians, such as immigration, multiculturalism and European [...]
Uncertainties about the EU’s future are undermining mainstream parties throughout Europe. In central and eastern Europe politicians can no longer sell the european model of liberal reforms when that model is itself in crisis. Although only three EU members in central and eastern Europe (CEE), Estonia, Slovakia and Slovenia, have adopted the Euro, the knock-on [...]
Over the last couple of years the German debate over the euro crisis has been characterised as over-simplistic and tending to blame the debtor countries of Southern Europe for their own plight. Berlin’s political response has been seen as reactive and lacking in the necessary vision to end the crisis. Now, however, there are clear [...]
As the mostly centre right governments of Europe rushed a few years back to save their economies by rediscovering the state, many talked of the triumphant return of Neo-Keynesianism. However, they spoke too soon. What followed, as the danger of immediate financial collapse was averted, was a harsh return to the previous orthodoxy and to [...]
There has been much talk about the crisis of social democracy and the shortcomings of the progressive agenda as the key explanation. Without disputing the priority of designing the right programme, I’d like to stress another important factor: the collapse of communities. Our societies are increasingly fragmented. Once large-scale communities make place for smaller groups [...]
It is now increasingly clear that what started in late 2008 is no ordinary economic slump. Almost four years after the beginning of the crisis, developed economies have not managed a sustainable recovery, and even the better-off countries reveal signs of weakness. Faced with the certainty of a double-dip recession, Europe’s difficulties are daunting. Not [...]
The protest movements that have flared up across the West, from Chile to Germany, have remained curiously undefined and under-analyzed. Some speak of them as the greatest global mobilization since 1968 – when enragés in very different countries coalesced around similar concerns. But others insist that there is nothing new here. The Bulgarian political scientist Ivan Krastev, [...]
Like most countries in the region, Hungary hasn’t had it easy. Democracy wasn’t quite the fluffy experience the abstract western examples had seemingly shown. The economy was downright awful and for the first post transition decade, and along with the market economy came widespread existential angst, which had previously been the sad privilege only of dissidents. Even [...]
A spectre is haunting Europe: right wing chauvinist populism. The tendency has been developing for years, but it is getting worse. Recent elections in Finland have seen a rise in the True Finns’ Party. Xenophobic populists support the government in the Netherlands. In Austria Stracher’s FPÖ is only 2 percentage points behind the Social Democrats [...]
“People joked that watching Finnish politics was about as interesting as watching paint dry. Until now.” (The New York Times 22.4.2011) In December 2010, I wrote about the rise of the True Finns movement in SEJ. I argued that if Timo Soini`s True Finns are able to mobilize their polls support in the general election [...]
Nearly everywhere, it seems, there’s a populist revolt against established politics. From the True Finns in Finland, to the Front National 2.0 in France, to the Tea Party movement in America, and to the Sarrazin-upheaval in Germany the populist revolt continues. But what are the common causes? Why is it happening? Why now? What is [...]
Migration to Italy is a well established phenomenon. For about forty years, migrants from third world countries have entered the peninsula in search of better economic conditions or because they are fleeing armed conflict or natural disasters in their countries of origin. Over recent years, the number of immigrants has grown exponentially. Currently in Italy [...]
All Content