The Social Democratic State

Author : Bo Rothstein
Publisher : University of Pittsburgh Pre
Page : 244 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 1998-02-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780822975021

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The Social Democratic State by Bo Rothstein Pdf

The Swedish Social Democratic Party, the SAP, is the most successful social democratic party in the world. It has led the government for most of the last six decades, participating either alone or as the dominant force in coalition government. The SAP has also worked closely with trade unions that have organized nearly 85 percent of the labor force, the highest rate among the advanced industrial democracies. Rarely has a political party been so dominant or so closely linked to labor movement. Yet Sweden remains very much a capitolist society with economic and social power firmly in the hands of big capitol. If one wants to know if politics, and most especially if reformist politics, matters - if, that is, political mobilization can change democratic capitolists societies - then Sweden under the Social Democrats is clearly one of the best empirical cases to study. Bo Rothstein uses the Swedish experience to analyze the limits a social democratic government labors under and the possibilities it enjoys in using the state to implement large-scale social change. He examines closely two SAP programs, one a success and the other a failure, that attempted to change social processes deeply embedded in capitolist society. He ties the outcomes of these programs to the structure of the state and hypothesizes that the outcome depends, to a considerable extent, on how administrative apparatuses responsible for implementing each policy are organized. Rothstein concludes that no matter how wisely a reformist policy is designed nor how strong the political party behind it, if the administrative arrangements are faulty, it will fail at the stage of implementation. Rothstein convincingly demonstrates that the democratic capitolist countries of the world have important lessons to learn from the Swedish experience regarding the possibilities for political reform. Political scientists and political reformers alike can learn much from Rothstein’s deep knowledge of Swedish government and his innovative model for analyzing political reform in social democratic societies.

Author : Francis Sejersted
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 560 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2023-01-10
Category : History
ISBN : 9780691242194

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The Age of Social Democracy by Francis Sejersted Pdf

A history of how Norway and Sweden became the envy of the modern world This is the history of how two countries on the northern edge of Europe built societies in the twentieth century that became objects of inspiration and envy around the world. Francis Sejersted, one of Scandinavia's leading historians, tells how Norway and Sweden achieved a rare feat by realizing grand visions of societies that combine stability, prosperity, and social welfare. It is a history that holds many valuable lessons today, at a time of renewed interest in the Scandinavian model. The book tells the story of social democracy from the separation of Norway and Sweden in 1905 through the end of the century, tracing its development from revolutionary beginnings through postwar triumph, as it became a hegemonic social order that left its stamp on every sector of society, the economy, welfare, culture, education, and family. The book also tells how in the 1980s, partly in reaction to the strong state, a freedom and rights revolution led to a partial erosion of social democracy. Yet despite the fracturing of consensus and the many economic and social challenges facing Norway and Sweden today, the achievement of their welfare states remains largely intact.

Author : Geoffrey Kurtz
Publisher : Penn State Press
Page : 213 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2015-06-10
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780271065823

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Jean Jaurès by Geoffrey Kurtz Pdf

Jean Jaurès was a towering intellectual and political leader of the democratic Left at the turn of the twentieth century, but he is little remembered today outside of France, and his contributions to political thought are little studied anywhere. In Jean Jaurès: The Inner Life of Social Democracy, Geoffrey Kurtz introduces Jaurès to an American audience. The parliamentary and philosophical leader of French socialism from the 1890s until his assassination in 1914, Jaurès was the only major socialist leader of his generation who was educated as a political philosopher. As he championed the reformist method that would come to be called social democracy, he sought to understand the inner life of a political tradition that accepts its own imperfection. Jaurès's call to sustain the tension between the ideal and the real resonates today. In addition to recovering the questions asked by the first generation of social democrats, Kurtz’s aim in this book is to reconstruct Jaurès’s political thought in light of current theoretical and political debates. To achieve this, he gives readings of several of Jaurès’s major writings and speeches, spanning work from his early adulthood to the final years of his life, paying attention to not just what Jaurès is saying, but how he says it.

Author : Lane Kenworthy
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 250 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2014-02
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780199322510

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Social Democratic America by Lane Kenworthy Pdf

Eminent scholar Lane Kenworthy shows that, despite fierce political debates and pretensions to exceptionalism, the US is well along the path toward becoming a social democratic society.

Author : Thomas Meyer
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 263 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2013-09-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780745654614

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The Theory of Social Democracy by Thomas Meyer Pdf

The ascendancy of neo-liberalism in different parts of the world has put social democracy on the defensive. Its adherents lack a clear rationale for their policies. Yet a justification for social democracy is implicit in the United Nations Covenants on Human Rights, ratified by most of the worlds countries. The covenants commit all nations to guarantee that their citizens shall enjoy the traditional formal rights; but they likewise pledge governments to make those rights meaningful in the real world by providing social security and cultural recognition to every person. This new book provides a systematic defence of social democracy for our contemporary global age. The authors argue that the claims to legitimation implicit in democratic theory can be honored only by social democracy; libertarian democracies are defective in failing to protect their citizens adequately against social, economic, and environmental risks that only collective action can obviate. Ultimately, social democracy provides both a fairer and more stable social order. But can social democracy survive in a world characterized by pervasive processes of globalization? This book asserts that globalization need not undermine social democracy if it is harnessed by international associations and leavened by principles of cultural respect, toleration, and enlightenment. The structures of social democracy must, in short, be adapted to the exigencies of globalization, as has already occurred in countries with the most successful social-democratic practices.

Author : Lane Kenworthy
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 305 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2020
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780190064112

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Social Democratic Capitalism by Lane Kenworthy Pdf

What is the configuration of institutions and policies most conducive to human flourishing? The historical and comparative evidence from the world's rich democratic countries suggests that the answer is capitalism, a democratic political system, good elementary and secondary schooling, a big welfare state, employment-conducive public services, and moderate regulation of product and labor markets. This set of policies and institutions, which sociologist Lane Kenworthy calls social democratic capitalism, improves living standards for the least well-off, enhances economic security, and very likely boosts equality of opportunity. And it does so without sacrificing the many other things we want in a good society, from liberty to economic growth and much more. While the Nordic nations have been social democratic capitalism's chief practitioners, there is good reason to think other affluent countries, including the United States, will move in this direction in coming decades.

Author : Olle Törnquist,John Harriss,Neera Chandhoke,Fredrik Engelstad
Publisher : Nias Studies in Asian Topics
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2016
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 8776941981

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Reinventing Social Democratic Development by Olle Törnquist,John Harriss,Neera Chandhoke,Fredrik Engelstad Pdf

"Uneven economic growth in the Global South, with mounting inequalities and the crisis of democratization, has generated new quests for social democracy - but are such efforts, these days, at all feasible? The point of departure in this book is that there are no easy solutions such as generalizing the Latin American Pink Tide or exporting the Nordic model. There are many unresolved problems with participatory approaches; and the current conditions in the Global South differ substantially from those that enabled social and political forces to fight for the combination of equity and growth during late industrialization in the North. Can social democratic development be reinvented? This is what we discuss in this book. There are numerous protests against the existing order and there are attempts at change. But history will not be repeated, and the effort must be made to move on by analyzing whether and how the troublesome new circumstances may not only block some of the old policies, but also pave the way for alternative dynamics that can foster a viable and democratic counter movement. A group of prominent and committed scholars on social democracy in the South, most of them from Scandinavia and from India, decided four years ago to discuss these issues in several joint workshops. In this book, the outcome of their deliberations, they focus on the core dimensions of social democratic development and then read the two most critical cases in the South and North against each other in historical perspective, those of India and Scandinavia In order not to take ready-made Scandinavian solutions as points of departure, they start off from the challenges in India, only thereafter looking for useful Scandinavian and other experiences. They also consider whether and how Scandinavia is affected by uneven development in countries like India, thus casting fresh light on the current problems of social democracy in the North too" (ed.)

Author : S. I. Benn,R. S. Peters
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 546 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2013-04-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781135027414

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Social Principles and the Democratic State by S. I. Benn,R. S. Peters Pdf

This book, originally published in 1959, makes explicit the social principles which underlie the procedures and political practice of the modern democratic state. The authors take the view that in the modern welfare state there are porblems connected with the nature of law, with concepts like rights, justice, equality, property, punishment, responsibility and liberty and which modern philosophical techniques can illuminate.

Author : Richard Sandbrook,Marc Edelman,Patrick Heller,Judith Teichman
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 249 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2007-03-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781139460910

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Social Democracy in the Global Periphery by Richard Sandbrook,Marc Edelman,Patrick Heller,Judith Teichman Pdf

Social Democracy in the Global Periphery focuses on social-democratic regimes in the developing world that have, to varying degrees, reconciled the needs of achieving growth through globalized markets with extensions of political, social and economic rights. The authors show that opportunities exist to achieve significant social progress, despite a global economic order that favours core industrial countries. Their findings derive from a comparative analysis of four exemplary cases: Kerala (India), Costa Rica, Mauritius and Chile (since 1990). Though unusual, the social and political conditions from which these developing-world social democracies arose are not unique; indeed, pragmatic and proactive social-democratic movements helped create these favourable conditions. The four exemplars have preserved or even improved their social achievements since neoliberalism emerged hegemonic in the 1980s. This demonstrates that certain social-democratic policies and practices - guided by a democratic developmental state - can enhance a national economy's global competitiveness.

Author : Ingo Schmidt
Publisher : Pluto Press (UK)
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2016
Category : Socialism
ISBN : 0745336086

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The Three Worlds of Social Democracy by Ingo Schmidt Pdf

What is the current state of social democracy, and what are its prospects? This book is one of the first truly global explorations of the methods, meanings and limits of social democracy worldwide, exploring the history and track record of the movement in its many forms. The authors examine the spread of social democracy to post-colonial and post-communist countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America, India and South Africa, as well as its historical 'heartlands' in Europe. Economic stagnation combined with a weakening of popular left-wing movements, and the rise of the populist right, present formidable challenges for the proponents of social democracy today. This book will be an indispensable guide for anyone seeking a global view of these world-historic developments.

Author : Klaus Misgeld,Karl Molin
Publisher : Penn State Press
Page : 549 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2010-11-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780271043449

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Creating Social Democracy by Klaus Misgeld,Karl Molin Pdf

Author : Sheri BERMAN,Sheri Berman
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 321 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2009-06-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9780674020849

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The Social Democratic Moment by Sheri BERMAN,Sheri Berman Pdf

In addition to revising our view of the interwar period and the building of European democracies, this book cuts against the grain of most current theorizing in political science by explicitly discussing when and how ideas influence political behavior. Even though German and Swedish Social Democrats belonged to the same transnational political movement and faced similar political and social conditions in their respective countries before and after World War I, they responded very differently to the challenges of democratization and the Great Depression--with crucial consequences for the fates of their countries and the world at large. Explaining why these two social democratic parties acted so differently is the primary task of this book. Berman's answer is that they had very different ideas about politics and economics--what she calls their programmatic beliefs. The Swedish Social Democrats placed themselves at the forefront of the drive for democratization; a decade later they responded to the Depression with a bold new economic program and used it to build a long period of political hegemony. The German Social Democrats, on the other hand, had democracy thrust upon them and then dithered when faced with economic crisis; their haplessness cleared the way for a bolder and more skillful political actor--Adolf Hitler. This provocative book will be of interest to anyone concerned with twentieth-century European history, the transition to democracy problem, or the role of ideas in politics.

Author : Jennifer Shore
Publisher : Springer
Page : 166 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2018-08-20
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9783319939612

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The Welfare State and the Democratic Citizen by Jennifer Shore Pdf

This book examines the ways in which the welfare state impacts levels and distributions of political participation and democratic support in Western democracies. Going beyond the traditional contextual accounts of political behaviour, which primarily focus on political institutions or the socio-economic climate, this book looks specifically at the impact of public policy on a variety of political behaviours and attitudes. Drawing on the theoretical insights from the policy feedback approach, the author argues and empirically demonstrates that generous social policy offerings can not only foster democratic citizenship by promoting a more inclusive political culture, but are most beneficial to citizens who are otherwise excluded from political life in many other societies. This book will appeal most to scholars in the fields of political science and sociology who are especially interested in the welfare state, public policy, political sociology, and inequality.

Author : Ingo Schmidt,Bryan Evans
Publisher : Athabasca University Press
Page : 341 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : History
ISBN : 9781926836874

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Social Democracy After the Cold War by Ingo Schmidt,Bryan Evans Pdf

"Despite the market triumphalism that greeted the end of the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet empire seemed initially to herald new possibilities for social democracy. In the 1990s, with a new era of peace and economic prosperity apparently imminent, people discontented with the realities of global capitalism swept social democrats into power in many Western countries. The resurgence was, however, brief. Neither the recurring economic crises of the 2000s nor the ongoing War on Terror was conducive to social democracy, which soon gave way to a prolonged decline in countries where social democrats had once held power. Arguing that neither globalization nor demographic change was key to the failure of social democracy, the contributors to this volume analyze the rise and decline of Third Way social democracy and seek to lay the groundwork for the reformulation of progressive class politics. Offering a comparative look at social democratic experience since the Cold War, the volume examines countries where social democracy has long been an influential political force--Sweden, Germany, Britain, and Australia--while also considering the history of Canada's NDP, the social democratic tradition in the United States, and the emergence of New Left parties in Germany and the province of Québec. The case studies point to a social democracy that has confirmed its rupture with the postwar order and its role as the primary political representative of workingclass interests. Once marked by redistributive and egalitarian policy perspectives, social democracy has, the book argues, assumed a new role--that of a modernizing force advancing the neoliberal cause." -- Publisher's website.

Author : Francis Castles
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 199 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2009-07-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781135195526

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The Social Democratic Image of Society (Routledge Revivals) by Francis Castles Pdf

This book, originally published in 1978, constitutes a genuinely comparative study of the world's only truly succesful democratic socialist parties: the Social Democraic Parties of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The measure of achievement is not merely political success, the fact that in Scandinavia the Social Democrats have become 'natural parties of goverment', for just as importantly, the author shows that a political success grounded on the symbiotic relationship between party and trade union movement has been the foundation for a higher level of welfare state provision and egalitarian striving than in virtually any other advanced Western nations. It is a book for friends and foes of democratic socialism alike; for the former to provide an understanding of the tasks ahead and for the latter to know the enemy better.