the failure to ‘move beyond the national’ in convincing fashion is an important source of the problems facing social democratic ideological renewal in the twenty-first century
Guest editorial: Leading Labour
Editorial // Robin Archer
Labour’s new leader must seize a rare historic opportunity to redefine the centre of public opinion and create pressure for social democratic change.
Phoenix in ashes: the Spanish Socialists and the economic crisis
Feature // Paul Kennedy
The Zapatero era appears to be drawing to a close, with little progress having been made in putting in place the new economic model which Spain so desperately needs.
Ideological and organisational travails of French Socialism
Feature // Ben Clift
The French Socialists have failed to carve out a new and distinctive identity or programme since the Jospin era of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Political and organisational reforms on the Italian left
Feature // Davide Vampa
Promoting modernisation at all costs without a serious debate about identity and programme does not address the fundamental problems faced by centre-left parties today.
The politics of Nordic welfare reform
Feature // Mikko Kuisma
Welfare policy needs to be re-politicised and a new value debate opened up in order to shake off ‘people’s home nostalgia’.
Ireland: a new opportunity
Feature // Jean O’Mahony
Ireland offers lessons for parties struggling to connect with electorates who are angry with politics’ failure to prevent the economic collapse, and disillusioned with its capacity to build an alternative.
The Latin American left in government
Feature // Rick Muir
Left of centre governments have demonstrated that social democracy is possible in Latin America. Their European cousins would do well to study and learn from their example.
Beyond the Westminster model
Essay // Patrick Diamond
New Labour lacked a theory of how to govern, resorting by default to the traditional Westminster model. This had unintended consequences, imperilling its social democratic project for Britain.
How universities became hedge funds
Commentary // Bob Samuels
As Britain debates the future of higher education, it might be helpful to understand what has been happening to higher education in the United States.
The power of union-community coalitions
Commentary // Amanda Tattersall
Civil society relationships can reverse unions’ social isolation and reshape their organisational capacity. In these ways, coalitions may be a source of union revitalisation.
Nicholas Phillipson: Adam Smith
Review // James Stafford
The ‘improving’ potential of Smith’s ‘free’ market rested on the self-regulation of economic actors.
