Postcards from the world of social democracy
Renewal - ISSN 0968-5211
Volume 31 Number 4 (2023)
Postcards from the world of social democracy
Eunice Goes, David Klemperer, Eleanor Lowe pages 5-10
Abstract
The last decade or so has not been kind to social democratic and centre-left parties. Around the world, social democratic parties struggled to craft a progressive response to the 2008 global financial crisis and were harshly punished by voters in the era of austerity that followed. Since then, social democratic parties have been languishing in opposition, feeling disorientated and powerless. In some cases – France and Greece – they face the distinct possibility of extinction. In the rare cases where social democratic parties are leading governments – Germany, Spain, Denmark, Portugal, Australia, Brazil, Chile – they have either ceased to believe in their capacity to transform the societies they lead or are struggling to implement the structural reforms required to address the big challenges they face in a social democratic way. Too often, they are reduced to offering short-term remedies – policies designed to mitigate the effects of unequal economies, without addressing their underlying causes.
To cite this article
Eunice Goes, David Klemperer, Eleanor Lowe (2023) Postcards from the world of social democracy, Renewal, 31(4), 5-10