Description
Book SynopsisWhat's Left of the Left offers studies comparing how center-left political parties and movements have fared since the 1970s throughout Europe and in the United States.
Trade Review“[D]istinguished scholars offer reflections on the past struggles and accomplishments of left-leaning parties in Europe and the United States and speculate about their future. . . . The book makes the important point that as advanced societies navigate the current moment of global economic uncertainty, liberals and social democrats have a new opportunity to regroup and rethink policies that promote economic security and social justice.” -- G. John Ikenberry * Foreign Affairs *
“This book provides a timely update of much of this literature… that will be of particular use to students seeking to get up to speed with the empirical and historical development of social democracy in these particular concrete contexts. Most of the chapters also bring this concrete discussion further up to date than it currently is in most other existing literature on social democratic parties.” -- David Bailey * West European Politics *
"In addition to its historical scope,
What’s Left sets itself apart from the rest of its genre by including three chapters on the U.S. (regarding the Democratic Party’s evolving coalition, the American welfare state, and U.S. trade policy), making the point that the experiences of the American and European lefts are similar enough that the 'Democrats and social democrats' of the book’s subtitle have much to learn from one another." -- Geoffrey Kurtz * Logos *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii
Introduction: The New World of the Center-Left / James Cronin, George Ross, and James Shoch 1
Part I: Ideas, Projects, and Electoral Realities
Social Democracy's Past and Potential Future / Sheri Berman 29
Historical Decline or Change of Scale? The Electoral Dynamics of European Social Democratic Parties, 1950–2009 / Gerassimos Moschonas 50
Part II: Varieties of Social Democracy and Liberalism
Once Again a Model: Nordic Social Democracy in a Globalized World / Jonas Pontusson 89
Embracing Markets, Bonding with America, Trying to Do Good: The Ironies of New Labour / James Cronin 116
Reluctantly Center-Left? The French Case / Arthur Goldhammer and George Ross 141
The Evolving Democratic Coalition: Prospects and Problems / Ruy Teixeira 162
Party Politics and the American Welfare State / Christopher Howard 188
Grappling with Globalization: The Democratic Party's Struggles over International Market Integration / James Shoch 210
Part III: New Risks, New Challenges, New Possibilities
European Center-Left Parties and New Social Risks: Facing Up to New Policy Challenges / Jane Jenson 241
Immigration and the European Left / Sofía Pérez 265
The Central and Eastern European Left: A Political Family under Construction / Jean-Michel De Waele and Sorina Soare 290
European Center-Lefts and the Mazes of European Integration / George Ross 319
Conclusion: Progressive Politics in Tough Times / James Cronin, George Ross, and James Shoch 343
Bibliography 363
About the Contributors 395
Index 399
