debating progressive politics in Europe and beyond
In a party political broadcast of the UK Labour Party (see below), Labour leader Ed Miliband announces a tougher stance on immigration. Stating that the last Labour government got it wrong he called for ‘maximum transitional controls’ for new EU member states. This has to be seen against the backdrop of the irrational campaign that somehow [...]
The state occupies a central place in social democratic thinking. It is the vehicle through which policies are delivered. Indeed, it is no coincidence that the growth of the modern state was a forerunner of the social democratic movement. Today, it is impossible to think about social democracy without considering the role of the state. But the relationship is not without [...]
Norwegian municipalities that have a stronger economy because they can charge property tax on hydroelectric power plants in the municipality also have a higher voter turnout, according to a study by researchers at BI Norwegian Business School (Handelshøyskolen BI). The researchers looked at voter turnout in municipal elections in 2007 and compared those municipalities that [...]
In recent decades, the Swedish welfare has seen a major regime shift. From having comprehensive public welfare monopolies, Sweden has seen an extensive process to allow private for-profit actors into the welfare sector. Today, nearly one in five who work in the welfare sector are employed by the private sector. The welfare services have generally [...]
A majority of Danish voters are prepared to work more if it means that there are no cutbacks in the public welfare. That can be read in an opinion poll commissioned by The Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO). According to the poll that was conducted by TNS Gallup, 62 percent of Danes are prepared [...]
It’s tax time. It’s also a time when right-wing Republicans are setting the agenda for massive spending cuts that will hurt most Americans. Here’s the truth: The only way America can reduce the long-term budget deficit, maintain vital services, protect Social Security and Medicare, invest more in education and infrastructure, and not raise taxes on [...]
In recent decades, the capitalist offensive in Sweden has had the ideological fire support of a neoliberal paradigm shaped by the dichotomy ‘nutritive and consumptive’ (‘närande och tärande’). By splitting the economy into a capitalist element putting money into the coffers and a governmental element that empties them, it became possible for the private sector to [...]
All Content