Hard Choices
Social Democracy in the Twenty-First Century
1. Edition April 2001
176 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
As the twenty-first century dawned, social democratic parties
across Europe and beyond found themselves newly, and rather
surprisingly, in the ascendant. Britain's New Labour was only the
most spectacular in a whole series of political restorations. For
many, this renewal only became possible when 'modernizing' social
democratic parties jettisoned their old ideological and
institutional baggage, setting off down a 'third way' that rejected
the outmoded ideas of both left and right. The argument of Hard
Choices is that this view is doubly misleading: it
misrepresents the past and misunderstands the present.
The first half of the book restores some of the complexity to
social democracy's past and shows that it was much more subtle,
varied and intelligent than its latter-day critics suppose. Turning
to the present, the second half of the book shows how a few
contemporary half-truths - relating to globalization and
demographic change - have been used to justify the abandonment of
the defining core of a social democratic politics. The book does
not argue that 'nothing has really changed'. In fact, a great deal
has changed and policy-makers have to adjust to a range of new
circumstances, constraints (and opportunities). But those who
exhort us simply to abandon the 'traditional' terrain of the
centre-left are wrong. Social democracy remains just what it always
was - a politics of messy compromises and hard choices.
This book will appeal to undergraduates, postgraduates and
scholars in politics, social policy and political sociology, as
well as the interested general reader.
Introduction.
Chapter 1 The Strange Death of Social Democracy.
Chapter 2 The Making of Social Democracy.
Chapter 3 "Classical" Social Democracy and the Alternatives.
Chapter 4 Globalization and the End of Social Democracy.
Chapter 5 The Challenge of Demographic Change.
Chapter 6 The Social Democratic Future.
Conclusion.
Notes.
Bibliography.
Index
social democracy and its future. Christopher Pierson has produced a
text which is ahead of anything else in the field.' Andrew
Gamble, University of Sheffield
'An exceptionally intelligent, judicious and astute
analysis of social democracy's past, present, and alternative
futures. Avoiding both easy criticisms and bromide solutions,
Pierson adds much needed clarity to the raging debate about the
third way and social democracy. Hard Choices should be
required reading not only for students, but for political leaders
and policymakers as well! 'Joel Krieger, Norma Wilentz Hess
Professor of Political Science, Wellesley College
"Well-written, witty and mercifully free of jargon,
Hard Choices represents a compelling addition to the
literature on social democracy." John Bartle, University of
Essex
"[The book] offers an excellent sketch of the current backdrop
to and arguments over social democratic policy options, and
helpfully resists the temptation to offer us a one-size-fits-all
guide for all countries where social democracy is struggling to
remain relevant and distinctive...'Hard choices' should be
of interest to a broad audience of social scientists and general
readers interested in whether social democratic policy options can
withstand the end of history...again."David Laycock, Canadian
Journal of Political Science
"Christopher Pierson's careful, balanced review of the various
debates surrounding the philosophy, policy and strategy of social
democracy performs the important service of making clear precisely
how much social democrats have conceded to the right in the course
of this discussion...it is an excellent contribution to the debate
about the future of social democracy, offering a sensible
clear-headed antidote to the wild simplifications present in much
of the 'third way' genre" Ben Jackson, Democratization
"An essential read for the political science student."
Brigadier Rahul K Bhonsle, SM, U.S.I. Journal