Carl-Ulrik Schierup
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780198280521
- eISBN:
- 9780191603730
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198280521.003.0010
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
This concluding chapter reviews the overall predicaments of the European dilemma as the EU faces the dual challenge of national-ethnic diversity and social crisis. It focuses on the issues of ...
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This concluding chapter reviews the overall predicaments of the European dilemma as the EU faces the dual challenge of national-ethnic diversity and social crisis. It focuses on the issues of European moral-political identity and the future of a multinational-multi-ethnic democracy. It asks which moral-political values and institutional strategies may actually guide the future integration of one of the world’s most powerful economic and political blocs. The discussion reconnects with the overall issue of the dual crisis of the welfare state and the nation, contending that the dual crisis needs to be restated as also encompassing a crisis for the EU-European supra-nation. With the character of currently dominant EU policies and the emergent ‘post-national workfare regime’ of the Union in mind, the authors elaborate on the potential capacity of the European supra-nation to offer a viable and democratic alternative. They question today’s strong tendency to seek solutions to an apparent crisis of neo-liberal strategies in stringent immigration and asylum measures, and retrograde policies of ethno-cultural entrenchment. This serves to highlight the crucial question as to which moral-political ‘creed’ will actually prevail in the 21st century.Less
This concluding chapter reviews the overall predicaments of the European dilemma as the EU faces the dual challenge of national-ethnic diversity and social crisis. It focuses on the issues of European moral-political identity and the future of a multinational-multi-ethnic democracy. It asks which moral-political values and institutional strategies may actually guide the future integration of one of the world’s most powerful economic and political blocs. The discussion reconnects with the overall issue of the dual crisis of the welfare state and the nation, contending that the dual crisis needs to be restated as also encompassing a crisis for the EU-European supra-nation. With the character of currently dominant EU policies and the emergent ‘post-national workfare regime’ of the Union in mind, the authors elaborate on the potential capacity of the European supra-nation to offer a viable and democratic alternative. They question today’s strong tendency to seek solutions to an apparent crisis of neo-liberal strategies in stringent immigration and asylum measures, and retrograde policies of ethno-cultural entrenchment. This serves to highlight the crucial question as to which moral-political ‘creed’ will actually prevail in the 21st century.
Jack Hayward and Anand Menon (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199250158
- eISBN:
- 9780191599439
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199250154.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
This book is intended to be the leading advanced survey of politics in Western Europe. It examines in detail all aspects of political life in Western Europe, from public protest to core executives, ...
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This book is intended to be the leading advanced survey of politics in Western Europe. It examines in detail all aspects of political life in Western Europe, from public protest to core executives, and from social policy to Europe’s place in the world. It brings together a team of leading scholars from the United Kingdom, continental Europe and North America. The contributions provide not only a sophisticated introduction to the various issues covered, but also a detailed discussion of the major theoretical and empirical debates and developments in the field. The book thus combines the functions of providing a comprehensive overview and a series of original contributions to scholarly debate. It has 23 chapters, two of which are introductory, and look at institutions and the evolution of European democracy, and national courts and European Community Law. The focus of the remainder is on European core executives (4 chapters), public administration (4 chapters), parties and organized interests (3 chapters), democracy and popular participation (3 chapters), public policy (4 chapters) and the changing European state (3 chapters). The book is intended as a tribute to the late Vincent Wright of Nuffield College, Oxford University, to whom the Foreword and Preface are devoted.Less
This book is intended to be the leading advanced survey of politics in Western Europe. It examines in detail all aspects of political life in Western Europe, from public protest to core executives, and from social policy to Europe’s place in the world. It brings together a team of leading scholars from the United Kingdom, continental Europe and North America. The contributions provide not only a sophisticated introduction to the various issues covered, but also a detailed discussion of the major theoretical and empirical debates and developments in the field. The book thus combines the functions of providing a comprehensive overview and a series of original contributions to scholarly debate. It has 23 chapters, two of which are introductory, and look at institutions and the evolution of European democracy, and national courts and European Community Law. The focus of the remainder is on European core executives (4 chapters), public administration (4 chapters), parties and organized interests (3 chapters), democracy and popular participation (3 chapters), public policy (4 chapters) and the changing European state (3 chapters). The book is intended as a tribute to the late Vincent Wright of Nuffield College, Oxford University, to whom the Foreword and Preface are devoted.
Erik O. Eriksen
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199572519
- eISBN:
- 9780191722400
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199572519.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union, Democratization
This Introduction spells out some of the supranational aspects of the multi-level constellation that makes up the European Union, which distinguish it from an ordinary international organization. ...
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This Introduction spells out some of the supranational aspects of the multi-level constellation that makes up the European Union, which distinguish it from an ordinary international organization. Then, the presumption of democracy as the legitimation principle of power is outlined, and the question of why constitutionalism rather than state sovereignty comes to the fore in a post-Westphalian order is discussed. Thereafter, theories of European democracy are revisited and three different positions are outlined. Lastly, an overview of the following chapters is presented.Less
This Introduction spells out some of the supranational aspects of the multi-level constellation that makes up the European Union, which distinguish it from an ordinary international organization. Then, the presumption of democracy as the legitimation principle of power is outlined, and the question of why constitutionalism rather than state sovereignty comes to the fore in a post-Westphalian order is discussed. Thereafter, theories of European democracy are revisited and three different positions are outlined. Lastly, an overview of the following chapters is presented.
Peter A. Hall
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199250158
- eISBN:
- 9780191599439
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199250154.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
The purpose of this chapter is to place contemporary debate about European democracy in a wider historical context by considering how analyses of the institutions that underpin democracy in Europe ...
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The purpose of this chapter is to place contemporary debate about European democracy in a wider historical context by considering how analyses of the institutions that underpin democracy in Europe have evolved over time in tandem with political developments. It is said that those who neglect history are doomed to repeat it, and that can be also true of social science. We depend on the insights of successive generations of scholars for much of what we know about democracy, and by examining how their analyses shifted as European governance itself evolved, we can develop perspectives with which to understand the problems confronting Europe today. The survey is necessarily brief survey, but references are provided that lead to deeper debates. The different sections of the chapter are: The Feasibility of Popular Government; The Importance of Culture, Organization, and Social Conditions; Technocracy, Neo–Corporatism, and the Romantic Revolt; The Move to the Market; and Contemporary European Democracy.Less
The purpose of this chapter is to place contemporary debate about European democracy in a wider historical context by considering how analyses of the institutions that underpin democracy in Europe have evolved over time in tandem with political developments. It is said that those who neglect history are doomed to repeat it, and that can be also true of social science. We depend on the insights of successive generations of scholars for much of what we know about democracy, and by examining how their analyses shifted as European governance itself evolved, we can develop perspectives with which to understand the problems confronting Europe today. The survey is necessarily brief survey, but references are provided that lead to deeper debates. The different sections of the chapter are: The Feasibility of Popular Government; The Importance of Culture, Organization, and Social Conditions; Technocracy, Neo–Corporatism, and the Romantic Revolt; The Move to the Market; and Contemporary European Democracy.
Peter Mair
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198295495
- eISBN:
- 9780191599804
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198295499.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This is the second of three chapters on political party systems and structures of competition, and looks at post-communist party systems in Europe. The author’s intention is to explore some ...
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This is the second of three chapters on political party systems and structures of competition, and looks at post-communist party systems in Europe. The author’s intention is to explore some preliminary thoughts on the specific characteristics of newly emerging party systems, and of newly emerging post-communist party systems in particular, and to identify the major reasons why these newly emerging systems may look and perform differently from established party systems. It is suggested that differences in the democratization process, in the character of the electorate, and in the context of competition, together create formidable obstacles in the path of eventual consolidation, and that these also imply a pattern of party competition likely to prove both more conflictual and adversarial than is the case within the established democracies. The approach has been to identify the sort of factors that have encouraged the stabilization and institutionalization of established party systems, and then to turn these on their head in order to hypothesize and speculate about the sort of factors likely to be absent from newly emerging party systems, and from post-communist party systems in particular. The discussion is presented in five sections: (1) Newly Emerging Party Systems; (2) Post-Communist Democratization is Different; (3) The Electorate and the Parties are Different; (4) The Context of Competition is Different; and (5) The Pattern of Competition is Different.Less
This is the second of three chapters on political party systems and structures of competition, and looks at post-communist party systems in Europe. The author’s intention is to explore some preliminary thoughts on the specific characteristics of newly emerging party systems, and of newly emerging post-communist party systems in particular, and to identify the major reasons why these newly emerging systems may look and perform differently from established party systems. It is suggested that differences in the democratization process, in the character of the electorate, and in the context of competition, together create formidable obstacles in the path of eventual consolidation, and that these also imply a pattern of party competition likely to prove both more conflictual and adversarial than is the case within the established democracies. The approach has been to identify the sort of factors that have encouraged the stabilization and institutionalization of established party systems, and then to turn these on their head in order to hypothesize and speculate about the sort of factors likely to be absent from newly emerging party systems, and from post-communist party systems in particular. The discussion is presented in five sections: (1) Newly Emerging Party Systems; (2) Post-Communist Democratization is Different; (3) The Electorate and the Parties are Different; (4) The Context of Competition is Different; and (5) The Pattern of Competition is Different.
Peter Mair
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198295495
- eISBN:
- 9780191599804
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198295499.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This is the first of three chapters on political party systems and structures of competition, and looks at electoral markets in Europe. It begins by clarifying the term ‘electoral markets’ in the ...
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This is the first of three chapters on political party systems and structures of competition, and looks at electoral markets in Europe. It begins by clarifying the term ‘electoral markets’ in the context of the chapter, noting first that the competition to be investigated is inter-party competition, which will arise when parties have a market in which to compete (i.e. when there are voters in competition), and is at least in part a function of the size of the electoral market. Second, it notes that when parties confront an electoral market, they have a choice of two not necessarily exclusive strategies –– defensive or expansive; and third, that the size of the markets in general, and the degree of electoral availability, is largely a function of the strength and pervasiveness of the relevant political identities. The first section of the chapter, Developments and Contrasts in Western Europe, looks at the history of the development of political parties in western Europe as a history of attempts to narrow the electoral market through the promotion and inculcation of mass political identities; it concludes that, other things being equal, polities characterized by the presence of strong identities are likely to be less competitive than those where they are not, and will, more precisely, tend to be more consensual. The next section of the chapter, ‘Electoral Markets and Consociational Democracy’, leads on naturally to a discussion of consociational democracies (which are plural societies) in western Europe, and this is followed. in ‘Small States and Large States’, by an examination of the differences in policy style in small states (which are largely consensual) and large states (which are adversarial, with high electoral volatility). The last section ‘Some Implications for the New East European Democracies’, applies the previous discussion to eastern Europe.Less
This is the first of three chapters on political party systems and structures of competition, and looks at electoral markets in Europe. It begins by clarifying the term ‘electoral markets’ in the context of the chapter, noting first that the competition to be investigated is inter-party competition, which will arise when parties have a market in which to compete (i.e. when there are voters in competition), and is at least in part a function of the size of the electoral market. Second, it notes that when parties confront an electoral market, they have a choice of two not necessarily exclusive strategies –– defensive or expansive; and third, that the size of the markets in general, and the degree of electoral availability, is largely a function of the strength and pervasiveness of the relevant political identities. The first section of the chapter, Developments and Contrasts in Western Europe, looks at the history of the development of political parties in western Europe as a history of attempts to narrow the electoral market through the promotion and inculcation of mass political identities; it concludes that, other things being equal, polities characterized by the presence of strong identities are likely to be less competitive than those where they are not, and will, more precisely, tend to be more consensual. The next section of the chapter, ‘Electoral Markets and Consociational Democracy’, leads on naturally to a discussion of consociational democracies (which are plural societies) in western Europe, and this is followed. in ‘Small States and Large States’, by an examination of the differences in policy style in small states (which are largely consensual) and large states (which are adversarial, with high electoral volatility). The last section ‘Some Implications for the New East European Democracies’, applies the previous discussion to eastern Europe.
Janet Newman
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199266722
- eISBN:
- 9780191601941
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199266727.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
Examines the social policies associated with 'third ways' in European social democracy. It focuses on the Third Way in terms of discourse (e.g. a rhetoric of reconciliation), values (e.g. solidarity, ...
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Examines the social policies associated with 'third ways' in European social democracy. It focuses on the Third Way in terms of discourse (e.g. a rhetoric of reconciliation), values (e.g. solidarity, equity), and policy goals and mechanisms (e.g. maximizing employment; containing public spending and strengthening the social investment component of welfare states). Our main conclusion is that the current position is best represented by one-third way with several variants, and that there is greater similarity on the level of policy content than on values or discourse.Less
Examines the social policies associated with 'third ways' in European social democracy. It focuses on the Third Way in terms of discourse (e.g. a rhetoric of reconciliation), values (e.g. solidarity, equity), and policy goals and mechanisms (e.g. maximizing employment; containing public spending and strengthening the social investment component of welfare states). Our main conclusion is that the current position is best represented by one-third way with several variants, and that there is greater similarity on the level of policy content than on values or discourse.
Jonathan Laurence
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691144214
- eISBN:
- 9781400840373
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691144214.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This book traces how governments across Western Europe have responded to the growing presence of Muslim immigrants in their countries over the past fifty years. Drawing on hundreds of in-depth ...
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This book traces how governments across Western Europe have responded to the growing presence of Muslim immigrants in their countries over the past fifty years. Drawing on hundreds of in-depth interviews with government officials and religious leaders in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Morocco, and Turkey, the book challenges the widespread notion that Europe's Muslim minorities represent a threat to liberal democracy. The book documents how European governments in the 1970s and 1980s excluded Islam from domestic institutions, instead inviting foreign powers like Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Turkey to oversee the practice of Islam among immigrants in European host societies. But since the 1990s, amid rising integration problems and fears about terrorism, governments have aggressively stepped up efforts to reach out to their Muslim communities and incorporate them into the institutional, political, and cultural fabrics of European democracy. The book places these efforts—particularly the government-led creation of Islamic councils—within a broader theoretical context and gleans insights from government interactions with groups such as trade unions and Jewish communities at previous critical junctures in European state-building. By examining how state–mosque relations in Europe are linked to the ongoing struggle for religious and political authority in the Muslim-majority world, the book sheds light on the geopolitical implications of a religious minority's transition from outsiders to citizens. This book offers a much-needed reassessment that foresees the continuing integration of Muslims into European civil society and politics in the coming decades.Less
This book traces how governments across Western Europe have responded to the growing presence of Muslim immigrants in their countries over the past fifty years. Drawing on hundreds of in-depth interviews with government officials and religious leaders in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Morocco, and Turkey, the book challenges the widespread notion that Europe's Muslim minorities represent a threat to liberal democracy. The book documents how European governments in the 1970s and 1980s excluded Islam from domestic institutions, instead inviting foreign powers like Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Turkey to oversee the practice of Islam among immigrants in European host societies. But since the 1990s, amid rising integration problems and fears about terrorism, governments have aggressively stepped up efforts to reach out to their Muslim communities and incorporate them into the institutional, political, and cultural fabrics of European democracy. The book places these efforts—particularly the government-led creation of Islamic councils—within a broader theoretical context and gleans insights from government interactions with groups such as trade unions and Jewish communities at previous critical junctures in European state-building. By examining how state–mosque relations in Europe are linked to the ongoing struggle for religious and political authority in the Muslim-majority world, the book sheds light on the geopolitical implications of a religious minority's transition from outsiders to citizens. This book offers a much-needed reassessment that foresees the continuing integration of Muslims into European civil society and politics in the coming decades.
Elisabeth Carter
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719070488
- eISBN:
- 9781781701966
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719070488.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
Parties of the extreme Right have experienced a dramatic rise in electoral support in many countries in Western Europe over the last two and a half decades. This phenomenon has been far from uniform, ...
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Parties of the extreme Right have experienced a dramatic rise in electoral support in many countries in Western Europe over the last two and a half decades. This phenomenon has been far from uniform, however, and the considerable attention that the more successful right-wing extremist parties have received has sometimes obscured the fact that these parties have not recorded high electoral results in all West European democracies. Furthermore, their electoral scores have also varied over time, with the same party recording low electoral scores in one election but securing high electoral scores in another. This book examines the reasons behind the variation in the electoral fortunes of the West European parties of the extreme right in the period since the late 1970s. It proposes a number of different explanations as to why certain parties of the extreme right have performed better than others at the polls and it investigates each of these different explanations systematically and in depth.Less
Parties of the extreme Right have experienced a dramatic rise in electoral support in many countries in Western Europe over the last two and a half decades. This phenomenon has been far from uniform, however, and the considerable attention that the more successful right-wing extremist parties have received has sometimes obscured the fact that these parties have not recorded high electoral results in all West European democracies. Furthermore, their electoral scores have also varied over time, with the same party recording low electoral scores in one election but securing high electoral scores in another. This book examines the reasons behind the variation in the electoral fortunes of the West European parties of the extreme right in the period since the late 1970s. It proposes a number of different explanations as to why certain parties of the extreme right have performed better than others at the polls and it investigates each of these different explanations systematically and in depth.
Catherine Barnard (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199226221
- eISBN:
- 9780191696206
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199226221.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, EU Law
With the rejection of the Constitutional Treaty in French and Dutch referenda, the European Union received a severe blow. This precipitated a period of reflection and soul searching. How far should ...
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With the rejection of the Constitutional Treaty in French and Dutch referenda, the European Union received a severe blow. This precipitated a period of reflection and soul searching. How far should the fundamental principles that shape the Union be re-assessed in the light of the Constitutional debate? Can the Constitutional Treaty be rescued from failure? If not, what other options for constitutional reform are available? Does the Treaty's rejection signal the failure of the Union's goal of democratic governance? The chapters in this volume examine the impact of the debate surrounding the future of the European Constitution on the development of core areas of EU law and policy. Opening with a discussion of the shifting conceptions of European democracy, the volume proceeds to look at key areas of substantive law against the backdrop of the Constitutional Treaty, from foreign relations to fundamental rights, social policy to justice and home affairs. The book concludes with an examination of potential solutions to the constitutional crisis, and models for future constitutional reform.Less
With the rejection of the Constitutional Treaty in French and Dutch referenda, the European Union received a severe blow. This precipitated a period of reflection and soul searching. How far should the fundamental principles that shape the Union be re-assessed in the light of the Constitutional debate? Can the Constitutional Treaty be rescued from failure? If not, what other options for constitutional reform are available? Does the Treaty's rejection signal the failure of the Union's goal of democratic governance? The chapters in this volume examine the impact of the debate surrounding the future of the European Constitution on the development of core areas of EU law and policy. Opening with a discussion of the shifting conceptions of European democracy, the volume proceeds to look at key areas of substantive law against the backdrop of the Constitutional Treaty, from foreign relations to fundamental rights, social policy to justice and home affairs. The book concludes with an examination of potential solutions to the constitutional crisis, and models for future constitutional reform.
René Cuperus
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781447332664
- eISBN:
- 9781447332725
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447332664.003.0013
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter explores how European social democracy is threatened to be undermined and overrun by radical left-wing competitors and right-wing populist opponents. The pan-European rise of right-wing ...
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This chapter explores how European social democracy is threatened to be undermined and overrun by radical left-wing competitors and right-wing populist opponents. The pan-European rise of right-wing populism has had far-reaching consequences. First of all, the political and public agenda has shifted from a socioeconomic perspective to a cultural perspective. Right-wing populism is ‘culturalising’ all political issues, and is characterised by a nativist focus on putting its ‘own people first’. Second, right-wing populism portrays and demonises social democracy as forming the elite ‘which betrays ordinary people’. It also depicts social democratic parties as being simply parties for migrants. By doing so, right-wing populists deliberately seek to distance traditional social democratic voters from social democratic parties. Third, the rise of right-wing populism is increasing opportunities for right-wing or Conservative governments.Less
This chapter explores how European social democracy is threatened to be undermined and overrun by radical left-wing competitors and right-wing populist opponents. The pan-European rise of right-wing populism has had far-reaching consequences. First of all, the political and public agenda has shifted from a socioeconomic perspective to a cultural perspective. Right-wing populism is ‘culturalising’ all political issues, and is characterised by a nativist focus on putting its ‘own people first’. Second, right-wing populism portrays and demonises social democracy as forming the elite ‘which betrays ordinary people’. It also depicts social democratic parties as being simply parties for migrants. By doing so, right-wing populists deliberately seek to distance traditional social democratic voters from social democratic parties. Third, the rise of right-wing populism is increasing opportunities for right-wing or Conservative governments.
José María Maravall
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198778523
- eISBN:
- 9780191823848
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198778523.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Deeply rooted demands on democracy emerge regularly in advanced democracies. This chapter summarizes the analyses of the former three chapters, providing a synthetic diagnosis of considerable ...
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Deeply rooted demands on democracy emerge regularly in advanced democracies. This chapter summarizes the analyses of the former three chapters, providing a synthetic diagnosis of considerable political instability. The chapter examines in addition the consequences of European integration for democracy at the supranational and the national levels. European economic integration has responded late and poorly to the economic crisis that started in 2008—six years after the euro was established. No sanctions and rewards existed for decision-makers at the European level. However, national differences in economic performance and in income distribution have not been due to supranational causes, but to policies undertaken at the national level. Yet the confusion of the politics within European institutions has contributed to particular difficulties of national electorates to attribute political responsibilities for decisions and non-decisions. The asymmetry of information between politician and citizens increased substantially. Electoral verdicts were thus largely unconnected to the past performance of governments.Less
Deeply rooted demands on democracy emerge regularly in advanced democracies. This chapter summarizes the analyses of the former three chapters, providing a synthetic diagnosis of considerable political instability. The chapter examines in addition the consequences of European integration for democracy at the supranational and the national levels. European economic integration has responded late and poorly to the economic crisis that started in 2008—six years after the euro was established. No sanctions and rewards existed for decision-makers at the European level. However, national differences in economic performance and in income distribution have not been due to supranational causes, but to policies undertaken at the national level. Yet the confusion of the politics within European institutions has contributed to particular difficulties of national electorates to attribute political responsibilities for decisions and non-decisions. The asymmetry of information between politician and citizens increased substantially. Electoral verdicts were thus largely unconnected to the past performance of governments.
Driver Stephen
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781861346704
- eISBN:
- 9781447303442
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781861346704.003.0014
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Research and Statistics
This chapter views New Labour as a ‘post-Thatcherite’ party. It is argued that many of the themes of New Labour are not exactly ‘new’ to the ‘old’ European social democracy. The discussion points to ...
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This chapter views New Labour as a ‘post-Thatcherite’ party. It is argued that many of the themes of New Labour are not exactly ‘new’ to the ‘old’ European social democracy. The discussion points to an impassive record on employment, and claims that while the impact of government policy on the distribution of income has been equalising, the income gap has been widening. It also points out the differences within Labour, suggesting that Brown's Britain may be different in terms of choice, diversity, and competition, as compared to Blair's Britain. It is then suggested that Blairite modernisation does not necessarily undermine the social democratic political economy.Less
This chapter views New Labour as a ‘post-Thatcherite’ party. It is argued that many of the themes of New Labour are not exactly ‘new’ to the ‘old’ European social democracy. The discussion points to an impassive record on employment, and claims that while the impact of government policy on the distribution of income has been equalising, the income gap has been widening. It also points out the differences within Labour, suggesting that Brown's Britain may be different in terms of choice, diversity, and competition, as compared to Blair's Britain. It is then suggested that Blairite modernisation does not necessarily undermine the social democratic political economy.
Sanjay Ruparelia
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780190264918
- eISBN:
- 9780190492175
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190264918.003.0014
- Subject:
- Political Science, Indian Politics
This chapter situates the politics, successes and failures of the broader Indian left in comparative historical perspective. The Janata Party, National Front and United Front governments, and the ...
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This chapter situates the politics, successes and failures of the broader Indian left in comparative historical perspective. The Janata Party, National Front and United Front governments, and the terms of art employed by comparative studies and coalition theory, deserve critical reappraisal. Crafting stable national coalition governments in India, given the diverse regional forces and complex institutional compulsions, poses unparalleled challenges. Equally, complex ideological differences and tougher material conditions made it harder to forge a broad progressive coalition like the red-green alliance that enabled European social democracy. The predicament of the broader Indian left since the 1970s recalls the fate of Eurocommunists. Yet the vicissitudes of Third Front governments in India shows that regional parties are not inherently destabilizing forces, suggesting theoretical lessons for other parliamentary democracies, such as Britain, where contemporary processes of regionalization and demands for federalism may fragment national mandates in the future. Strategic realism and better political judgment would have enabled the socialists and communists to grasp the possibilities at key junctures, including unprecedented opportunities to exercise national power, advancing their causes to a greater degree. The book concludes by reflecting on the prospects of social democratic politics in India in the years ahead.Less
This chapter situates the politics, successes and failures of the broader Indian left in comparative historical perspective. The Janata Party, National Front and United Front governments, and the terms of art employed by comparative studies and coalition theory, deserve critical reappraisal. Crafting stable national coalition governments in India, given the diverse regional forces and complex institutional compulsions, poses unparalleled challenges. Equally, complex ideological differences and tougher material conditions made it harder to forge a broad progressive coalition like the red-green alliance that enabled European social democracy. The predicament of the broader Indian left since the 1970s recalls the fate of Eurocommunists. Yet the vicissitudes of Third Front governments in India shows that regional parties are not inherently destabilizing forces, suggesting theoretical lessons for other parliamentary democracies, such as Britain, where contemporary processes of regionalization and demands for federalism may fragment national mandates in the future. Strategic realism and better political judgment would have enabled the socialists and communists to grasp the possibilities at key junctures, including unprecedented opportunities to exercise national power, advancing their causes to a greater degree. The book concludes by reflecting on the prospects of social democratic politics in India in the years ahead.
José van
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- October 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190889760
- eISBN:
- 9780190889807
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190889760.003.0009
- Subject:
- Literature, Film, Media, and Cultural Studies
The epilogue sketches a few scenarios on potential geopolitical consequences of the global paradigm shift toward multiple online platform “spheres.” Currently, the neoliberal US-based platform ...
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The epilogue sketches a few scenarios on potential geopolitical consequences of the global paradigm shift toward multiple online platform “spheres.” Currently, the neoliberal US-based platform ecosystem dominates. This ecosystem revolves around the promotion of individualism and minimal state interference, leaving checks and balances to the market. On the other end of the ideological spectrum is the Chinese ecosystem, in which the autocratic regime controls the platform ecosystem via regulated censorship of tech corporations. Squeezed between the US and the Chinese models is the European Union, whose member states neither own nor operate any major platforms in either ecosystem. For European democracies to survive in the information age, its cities, national governments, and supranational legislature need to collaborate on a blueprint for a common digital strategy toward markets and public sectors.Less
The epilogue sketches a few scenarios on potential geopolitical consequences of the global paradigm shift toward multiple online platform “spheres.” Currently, the neoliberal US-based platform ecosystem dominates. This ecosystem revolves around the promotion of individualism and minimal state interference, leaving checks and balances to the market. On the other end of the ideological spectrum is the Chinese ecosystem, in which the autocratic regime controls the platform ecosystem via regulated censorship of tech corporations. Squeezed between the US and the Chinese models is the European Union, whose member states neither own nor operate any major platforms in either ecosystem. For European democracies to survive in the information age, its cities, national governments, and supranational legislature need to collaborate on a blueprint for a common digital strategy toward markets and public sectors.
