Major new publication on how Europe’s centre-left parties can return as forces of social and economic progress
A decade into the new century, Europe is beset by a striking mood of social pessimism. The post-war baby boomer generation harbours real fears about the future, as it looks like life will not be as good for their children as it was for them.
Such anxiety presents a particularly de-habilitating political problem for social democracy for whom the promise of social progress has always been a powerful electoral rallying call, with education, aspiration and social mobility occupying centre-stage.
But in the minds of many across Europe, this contract no longer holds. Rather, a populist scepticism toward established politics, the aftermath of the near collapse of the financial capitalist system, and a centre-right which seeks to capitalise on the successes of the social democratic legacy while playing the card of ‘economic competence’ now sets the boundaries of debate.
Coming back as the parties of social and economic progress requires new ideas and political narratives for our times, but it first requires solid building blocks on which to situate a 21st century vision of social progress. It is here that this volume contributes with papers on social investment and the European welfare state; the workplace and labour market; and social protection and intergenerational inequality.
Πηγή: Policy Network