In Search of New Social Democracy

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Why is the classical social democratic vision of development based on social justice by democratic means losing ground? Why was it so difficult to renew, even in the context of the third wave of democracy in the South? How does this matter in the North too, and how might it be reinvented? This accessible book brings to life major insights gained through interviews with a large range of activists and political protagonists in the southern cases of Indonesia, India, and the Philippines – but also in the northern social democratic stronghold of Sweden. By considering the experiences in view of the basics of Social Democracy and a broader comparative framework, Olle Törnquist arrives at globally relevant conclusions. Olle Törnquist outlines the difficulties facing the Global North and South in achieving the renewal of Social Democracy, beginning with authoritiarianism and market-driven globalization. Crucially, Törnquist also puts forward suggestions for how to achieve this reinvention, namely through broad alliances in the Global South, supported by the Global North, for transformative rights and welfare reforms that are universal, participatory and impartially implemented which would serve as precursors to social economic growth pacts.