The Theory of Social Democracy (PDF)

The ascendancy of neo-liberalism in different parts of the world
has put social democracy on the defensive. Its adherents lack a
clear rationale for their policies. Yet a justification for social
democracy is implicit in the United Nations Covenants on Human
Rights, ratified by most of the worlds countries. The covenants
commit all nations to guarantee that their citizens shall enjoy the
traditional formal rights; but they likewise pledge governments to
make those rights meaningful in the real world by providing social
security and cultural recognition to every person.

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; libertarian democracies are defective in
failing to protect their citizens adequately against social,
economic, and environmental risks that only collective action can
obviate. Ultimately, social democracy provides both a fairer and
more stable social order.

But can social democracy survive in a world characterized by
pervasive processes of globalization? This book asserts that
globalization need not undermine social democracy if it is
harnessed by international associations and leavened by principles
of cultural respect, toleration, and enlightenment. The structures
of social democracy must, in short, be adapted to the exigencies of
globalization, as has already occurred in countries with the most
successful social-democratic practices.