Future of Social Democracy Views of Leaders from Around the World

Does 'Left of Centre' Necessarily Mean Political Marginalisation? It began to seem so with the steady rise of the Right over the past 25 years. Recently, however, there has been a turnaround. Over the last two years, social democratic parties have been elected to government in Britain, France, and Germany. They now control government alone, or in coalition with other left-leaning parties, in thirteen of the fifteen states of the European Economic Community.This kind of global movement requires global communication. Political scientist Peter Russell has heeded the demand by bringing together ten former leaders of social democratic parties and governments from four continents to express their views on the agenda of social democracy for the next century.Whatever the trends in political power, one thing remains consistent: the Left's capacity for critical self-reflection. Having emerged from the trenches of politics, the essayists in this collection are remarkably open, prescient, and nimble. With realistic optimism, they accept the existing market economy and inescapable globalization, but challenge neo-liberalism's absolute faithRussell, Peter is the author of 'Future of Social Democracy Views of Leaders from Around the World' with ISBN 9780802080660 and ISBN 0802080669.