Tag archive for ‘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 [...]
Rebuilding Democracy
Increasing social disintegration, the domination of private economic interests and the erosion of democratic politics show the necessity for a profound democratic renewal of European societies. Democratisation refers not only to the political sphere, but involves all sectors of society, the economy as well as the production of knowledge. In the following I will focus [...]
The Good Society Debate continues…
Following the great success of the Good Society Debate, which was led on this website at the end of last year and brought together an unprecedented number of academics, politicians and activists to discuss the future of European social democracy, the organisers (Social Europe Journal, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung London, Soundings Journal and Compass) have decided to continue this [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
A Deafening Silence
Social democracy has nothing distinctive to say about many of the problems we currently face.
An ominous paradox hangs over the battered ranks of European social democracy. By rights, this should be a social-democratic moment. The economic crisis of the last two years has shown beyond doubt that the neoliberal economic paradigm which has dominated [...]
What a Post-American World means for Europe
In recent months, Europe has learned some hard lessons about its transatlantic partner. President Barack Obama triggered great hope when he replaced George W. Bush at the American helm. But a year later, especially following Obama’s failure to produce anything of substance at Copenhagen, Europeans are realizing that Obama is going to have a difficult [...]