The Theory of Social Democracy

by Meyer, Thomas; Hinchman, Lewis

• ISBN13: 9780745641133
• ISBN10: 074564113X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-09-24
• Publisher: Polity

Summary

This new book provides a systematic defence of social democracy for our contemporary global age. The authors argue that the claims to legitimation implicit in democratic theory can be honored only by social democracy. Ultimately, social democracy provides both a fairer and more stable social order.

Author Biography

T.Meyer, Professor of Political Science, University of Dortmund

L.P.Hinchman

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Democratic theory as a framework	p. 1
Social democracy and the social welfare state	p. 4
Political Theory	p. 7
Social Rights, Risks, and Obligations	p. 9
Contradictions in political liberalism	p. 9
Social citizenship	p. 17
Universal fundamental rights	p. 20
Social risks and fundamental rights	p. 26
Self-reliance and civic duties	p. 38
Social democracy and sustainability	p. 42
Justice and political integration	p. 53
Regulation, Participation, and Actors	p. 64
Political duties	p. 64
Actors, systems, and strategies	p. 68
Political actors in social democracy	p. 70
Political steering and social democracy	p. 80
Democratizing society	p. 89
Civil society and liberal democracy	p. 92
Political Economy	p. 97
The Social Market Economy	p. 99
Fundamental rights and political economy	p. 99
Public goods and civil rights	p. 102
The market-state complex	p. 107
Imbedding the economy	p. 111
Varieties of Capitalism	p. 113
Types of capitalism compared	p. 121
The social market economy	p. 125
The social market economy and globalization	p. 127
A Rights-Based Welfare State	p. 136
Social security regimes	p. 136
Welfare state and welfare society	p. 147
Labor and human dignity	p. 148
Education as a crucial resource	p. 152
Perspectives on sustainability	p. 156
The Politics of Globalization	p. 161
Progressive Globalization	p. 163
Social democracy and globalization	p. 163
Global citizenship	p. 167
Global governance	p. 170
The global imbedding of markets	p. 175
Globalization and political contingency	p. 180
Shaping and coping	p. 183
Cultural Foundations	p. 189
The Universalism of Social Democracy	p. 191
Cultural Divergence and Social Citizenship	p. 196
Multiculturalism and political rights	p. 196
Cultural difference and social citizenship	p. 202
Theory and Practice	p. 207
Libertarian and Social Democracies Compared	p. 209
Appendix	p. 214
Defective and Consolidated Democracy	p. 221
Conclusion	p. 228
Notes	p. 231
References and Bibliography	p. 247
Index	p. 269
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