What's Left of the Left

"[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 *

James Cronin is Professor of History at Boston College and an affiliate of the Center for European Studies at Harvard University. George Ross is ad personam Chaire Jean Monnet at the University of Montreal, Hillquit Professor in Labor and Social Thought Emeritus at Brandeis University, and Faculty Associate of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University. James Shoch is Associate Professor of Government at California State University, Sacramento.

Acknowledgments 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 / Sofia Perez 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