In search of social democracy: Responses to crisis and modernisation

Abstract

Part I After the golden age: social democracy in crisis1 Explanations for the neo-liberal direction of social democracy:Germany, Sweden and Australia compared Ashley Lavelle 9 2 Fiscal policies, social spending and economic performance in France, Germany and the UK since 1970 Norman Flynn 3 From The Future of Socialism (1956) to a future without socialism? The crisis of British social democratic political economy Noel Thompson Part II Responses to the crisis: the Third Way and other revisions 4 The political economy of French social democratic economic policy autonomy, 1997-2002: credibility, dirigisme and globalisation Ben Clift 5 The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party: continuity, innovation and renewal Paul Kennedy 6 A new Swedish model? Swedish social democracy at the crossroads Dimitris Tsarouhas 112 7 The modernisation of German social democracy: towards a third way and back? Hartwig Pautz 129 vi Contents 8 The meaning of modernisation: New Labour and public sector reform Eric Shaw 9 Reformism in a 'conservative' system: the European Union and social democratic identity Gerassimos Moschonas Part III Resources for rethinking 10 Unlocking the talent of every citizen: debates about potential and ambition in British socialist thought Jeremy Nuttall 11 The continuing relevance of Croslandite social democracy Kevin Hickson 12 The rhetoric of redistribution Ben Jackson 13 Republicanism, socialism and the renewal of the left Martin McIvor 14 Economic democracy instead of more capitalism: core historical concepts reconsidered Adrian Zimmermann Tables 1.1 Economic growth rates for six major nations (percentage increase per year) 1.2 Annual average compound growth rate of per capita GDP 1.3 Declining economic conditions (annual percentage change) 2.1 Public social expenditure 1981-2001, as a percentage of GDP 2.2 Unemployment benefi ts (insurance system), 2002 2.3 Unemployment insurance rates, 2002 2.4 Incomes of employed and unemployed people, 1999 2.5 Tax rate on low-wage earners: unemployment trap in 2002 2.6 The tax wedge, 2003: Marginal tax rates at income levels proportionate to the average productive wage 2.7 Unemployment as a percentage of the labour force, 2002-04 2.8