The Politics of Social Democracy: Issues, Dilemmas, and Future Directions for the Centre-Left

by Rob Manwaring

This book addresses the meaning of contemporary social democracy and how the centre-left is navigating through its current identity crisis, through a series of cases of social democratic and labour parties across Europe and the Anglosphere.

The book examines the ideological, policy, electoral and organisational dilemmas facing the centre-left. Taking in cases including those from the UK, Austria, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, and New Zealand, it outlines and explores the current and future trajectories of the family of centre-left parties.

This text will be of key interest to students, scholars and interested readers of labour and social democratic politics, centre-left political parties, trade unions, the future of the centre-left, and more broadly to those studying political parties, European and comparative politics.

310 pages, ebook

Published May 12, 2021

Reviews

[Rob Manwaring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously, this is a masterpiece. Doubt there would be much demand for an audible version though, read by the dulcet tones of the author....

[James User · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do really appreciate how the book pits to bed the idea that for social democrats to win back working class voters they need to adopt the rights position on immigration.

I also wish this has come out later as I’m genuinely curious as to what the author would make of Albanese’s electoral success in Australia and how he would categorise his style of social democratic governance.