What's left of the left : Democrats and Social Democrats in challenging times

In What’s Left of the Left, distinguished scholars of European and U.S. politics consider how center-left political parties have fared since the 1970s. They explore the left’s responses to the end of the postwar economic boom, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the erosion of traditional party politics, the expansion of market globalization, and the shift to a knowledge-based economy. Their comparative studies of center-left politics in Scandinavia, France, Germany, southern Europe, post–Cold War Central and Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States emphasize differences in the goals of left political parties and in the political, economic, and demographic contexts in which they operate. The contributors identify and investigate the more successful center-left initiatives, scrutinizing how some conditions facilitated them, while others blocked their emergence or limited their efficacy. In the contemporary era of slow growth, tight budgets, and rapid technological change, the center-left faces pressing policy concerns, including immigration, the growing population of the working poor, and the fate of the European Union. This collection suggests that such matters present the left with daunting but by no means insurmountable challenges. Contributors. Sheri Berman, James Cronin, Jean-Michel de Waele, Arthur Goldhammer, Christopher Howard, Jane Jenson, Gerassimos Moschonas, Sofia Pérez, Jonas Pontusson, George Ross, James Shoch, Sorina Soare, Ruy Teixeira "In What's Left of the Left, distinguished scholars of European and U.S. politics consider how center-left political parties have fared since the 1970s. They explore the left's responses to the end of the postwar economic boom, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the erosion of traditional party politics, the expansion of market globalization, and the shift to a knowledge-based economy. Their comparative studies of center-left politics in Scandinavia, France, Germany, southern Europe, post-Cold War Central and Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States emphasize differences in the goals of left political parties and in the political, economic, and demographic contexts in which they operate. The contributors identify and investigate the more successful center-left initiatives, scrutinizing how some conditions facilitated them, while others blocked their emergence or limited their efficacy. In the contemporary era of slow growth, tight budgets, and rapid technological change, the center-left faces pressing policy concerns, including immigration, the growing population of the working poor, and the fate of the European Union. This collection suggests that such matters present the left with daunting but by no means insurmountable challenges"--Publisher's website Social Democracy's Past And Potential Future / Sheri Berman -- Historical Decline Or Change Of Scale? The Electoral Dynamics Of European Social Democratic Parties, 1950-2009 / Gerassimos Moschonas -- Once Again A Model : Nordic Social Democracy In A Globalized World / Jonas Pontusson -- Embracing Markets, Bonding With America, Trying To Do Good : The Ironies Of New Labour / James Cronin -- Reluctantly Center-left? The French Case / Arthur Goldhammer And George Ross -- The Evolving Democratic Coalition : Prospects And Problems / Ruy Teixeira -- Party Politics And The American Welfare State / Christopher Howard -- Grappling With Globalization : The Democratic Party's Struggles Over International Market Integration / James Shoch -- European Center-left Parties And New Social Risks : Facing Up To New Policy Challenges / Jane Jenson -- Immigration And The European Left / Sofía Pérez -- The Central And Eastern European Left : A Political Family Under Construction / Jean-michel De Waele And Sorina Soare -- European Center-lefts And The Mazes Of European Integration / George Ross. Edited By James Cronin, George Ross, And James Shoch. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. What'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.