The Three Worlds of Social Democracy: A Global View

Product Description

The twentieth century saw social democracy emerge to become the dominant ideology of governance in Western Europe, and today its influence spreads far beyond the continent, reaching into the Global South. At the same time, however, social democracy appears to be on shakier ground than ever, its programs eroded by new geopolitical and sociopolitical realities.
           
The Three Worlds of Social Democracy presents a view of the current state of social democracy through close looks at the experiences of social democratic parties and governments in Western and Eastern Europe, Latin America, India, and South Africa. The contributors review the ideas and policies of the different parties and discuss efforts to deal with contemporary economic and social challenges. The result is a volume that will be of value to students of comparative politics even as it furthers the debate about the future of social democratic policies.
 

Review

"Thirteen papers explain the scarcity of social democratic politics despite a persistent discontent with neoliberalism and examine alternative ways this discontent is articulated, ranging from various populisms to right-wing fundamentalism and new socialist projects. Presents case studies on social democracy from Western, Southern, and Eastern Europe, as well as Brazil, India, and South Africa."
―
Journal of Economic Literature



“Under the editorship of one of the most informed and profound analysts of contemporary social democratic parties and policies, this book's remarkably broad and up-to-date comparative coverage and analysis by an impressive range of authors makes an enormous contribution to understanding the contemporary political conjuncture.” 
―
Leo Panitch, emeritus, York University and co-editor of The Socialist Register



"This edited collection explores the “three worlds” of social democracy, in Western Europe, the former Communist nations, and the postcolonial global South....Overall, the book offers a useful array of descriptions of the decline of social democratic political governments and parties across what world system’s theorists might refer to as the core, periphery, and semiperiphery."
―
International Studies Review
About the Author

Ingo Schmidt is the academic coordinator of labor studies in the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies at Athabasca University, Alberta.