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Amartya Sen on Power, Justice and Capabilities
2010-03-21 00:37:00
I have just come across the lecture of Nobel Prize winning economist Amartya Sen talking about Power , Justice and Capabilities at the annual lecture of the Demos think tank a few days ago. This is the Demos blurb of it: For the Nobel prize-winner Amartya Sen, a good society is one populated by individuals with the capability ...
More About: Videos , Blogs

Europe?s Case of ?Chief Executive Envy?
2010-03-19 14:08:00
Every time Europe goes through one of its occasional crises, calls arise across the continent for ’stronger leadership.’ The perception of having feeble leadership was a major factor in the push for the Lisbon Treaty, which went into effect late in 2009 and created a president for the European Council and a high representative for ...
More About: Barack Obama , European Union , Chief , International Relations

Towards a Co-operative Europe
2010-03-19 12:02:00
Human flourishing requires conditions of relative equality. Progressives have always realised this and have traditionally looked to the state to deliver. This has led to many successes, particularly in the 1945-75 period when robust profitability (rooted in the re-stocking of manufacturing capacity destroyed in World War II) and the communist threat obtained many social concessions ...
More About: Politics , Europe , Equality

Markets, Sustainability and the End of Politics
2010-03-17 16:03:00
Within a capitalist economy there is always a settlement between the interests of capital and the interests of labour. As Shelley reminded English workers nearly 200 years ago in his poem ?The Mask of Anarchy?, the greatest power always rests in the hands of labour since ?Ye are many – they are few?. Under a ...
More About: Politics , Markets , Sustainability

Angles, Saxons, Inequality, and Educational Mobility in England and Germany
2010-03-17 10:30:00
Good politics has always seen well-funded, public provision of education as a vital pathway to delivering the Good Society. This article draws on recent evidence from Germany and the UK to show that even in more equal societies, such as Germany, attention still needs to be paid by progressive politicians to education – in particular, ...
More About: England , Educational

The Party of European Socialists: A Democratic Way Forward
2010-03-16 15:39:00
The Party of Europe an Socialists has done some important initial work in preparing the ground for a more democratic and social European future. It has introduced consultation and participation into new areas of European politics. I think it needs to go to the next stage to truly become a force for the democratisation of the ...
More About: Democratic , Columns

Reforming the Common Fisheries Policy
2010-03-15 10:30:00
The laudable theory behind Europe?s Common Fisheries Policy was to manage a shared natural resource for the benefit of all, but in application the policy has proven an unmitigated disaster. Under the EU?s own figures, around ninety per cent of European fish stocks are outside of safe biological limits and only a negligible proportion of waters ...

Social Democracy has the Potential to produce effective Policies for Sustai
2010-03-14 11:00:00
The prevailing patterns of production, consumption and economic activity in general have given rise to serious sustainability problems in several areas. These accelerated further in the last decades as the world economy grew considerably bigger. Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that unless drastic action is taken, global warming will lead to catastrophic consequences throughout the earth. Independently ...
More About: Social , Democracy , Policies

An EU Budget for the 21st Century
2010-03-10 23:02:00
The publication last week of the European Commission?s 2020 paper marks a return to normal service for the EU. We can now get back to proper political debate about Europe?s future rather than be distracted by institutional navel gazing. Welcome as the Commission?s proposals are though, they reveal a worrying faith in and reliance on the ...
More About: Columns , Budget

How to Really Help Africa?
2010-03-10 22:27:00
Despite the enlargement of the G8 to the G20, Europe remains its largest presence. In November France will host the G20 meeting, and so Europe will have the predominant influence on the agenda. While Africa is permanently on the agenda, the question is how we might best use that moment to do something for our ...
More About: Columns

Sustainable Europe?
2010-03-10 16:51:00
I am glad this week?s theme is called ?sustainability? and not ?the environment?. The ?environment? always sounds like something you look at out of the window, or visit at the weekend. However what is on the agenda now is much more than that, it is about whether we can sustain the capacity of the ...
More About: Europe

Democratic Politics beyond the Third Way
2010-03-05 11:08:00
Social democrats have a strong claim on democracy, and for good reason. First, their opposition to Soviet-style communism and their commitment to parliamentary democracy marked the beginning of their journey towards power. Second, as soon as the alliance with the liberals fulfilled the goal of equality in political representation for the working class, they set their ...
More About: Politics , Democratic , Labour , Democracy , Social Democracy

Rebuilding Democracy
2010-03-04 10:08:00
Increasing social disintegration, the domination of private economic interests and the erosion of democratic politics show the necessity for a profound democratic renewal of European societies. Democratisation refers not only to the political sphere, but involves all sectors of society, the economy as well as the production of knowledge. In the following I will focus ...
More About: Democracy

What Conservatives do not understand about the Euro
2010-03-03 09:30:00
Conservative economists triumphantly expect that the end of the euro is nigh. They take the Greek budget troubles as proof: one size cannot fit all. But they are wrong. The euro has contributed to the largest job creation in Euro pe?s history: 15.1 million new jobs in the first decade compared to 3.9 million in the ...
More About: European Union , Greece , Conservatives , Columns

Europe at the Crossroads: It?s Now or Never!
2010-03-02 16:42:00
The Europe an Union is one of the grandest projects in human history ? the creation of a new economic, and eventually social, super-state out of the ashes of post-war despair. The founders had a cunning plan: They would create an economic imperative around the production of essentials such as coal and steel, convinced that a ...
More About: European Union , Thatcher , Social Democracy , Social Policy

The Good Society Debate continues?
2010-03-01 16:26:00
Following the great success of the Good Society Debate , which was led on this website at the end of last year and brought together an unprecedented number of academics, politicians and activists to discuss the future of European social democracy, the organisers (Social Europe Journal, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung London, Soundings Journal and Compass) have decided to continue this ...
More About: Blogs , Social Democracy

A Faith Betrayed ? The Hungarian Left and the State
2010-02-26 13:58:00
Major portions of the democratic left always had mixed feelings regarding the state?s power. For the democratic left?s instinctive anti-authoritarian tendencies, the leviathan that is the modern state today should be inherently suspect. Though such doubts do flare up occasionally ? especially among the liberal intelligentsia and young leftists (i.e. the non-working class segments of ...
More About: Faith , Left , State , Hungarian

Green Transport ? The Next Step in Europe?s Climate Strategy
2010-02-24 17:02:00
Reviewing and improving its climate protection strategy will be one of the main challenges facing Europe over the next couple of months. Generating new ideas and ensuring adequate preparation are essential before the world resumes negotiations in Mexico. During her hearing in the European Parliament?s Environment Committee, the new Commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard, ...
More About: Strategy , Transport , Green

We are Grieving for our Founder and Chief Editor Detlev Albers
2008-06-01 00:56:00
On 31st May 2008, Social Europe Chief Editor Detlev Albers died after a short but severe illness. We are deeply saddened and shocked by his sudden death. Without Detlev, this journal would have never existed. He has shaped this project with his personal enthusiasm and visionary contributions to the European political debates. He has left big ...
More About: Founder , Grieving

Where now for Iraq?
2008-05-26 02:34:00
Watch Dr Toby Dodge (International Institute for Strategic Studies and University of London) discuss the current situation and future of Iraq .
More About: International Relations

Make your Point to US Voters
2008-05-20 02:40:00
Everybody knows that the result of the US presidential election later this year will have a decisive influence on the future direction of global politics. But of course only US citizens can vote… But here is an opportunity for you: make your political argument directly to US voters! Link TV has set up a website called ...
More About: Make , Point , Voters

Goodbye my Cherie Amour: Is it Gordon Brown or Labour that the Voters no lo
2008-05-13 04:18:00
By Crispin Williams The ends of love affairs are never easy things. Over the weekend old flames of Labour came back to throw out Labour’s dirty laundry, specifically with accusations about UK Prime Minister Brown . Cherie Blair’s revelations from her upcoming autobiography stated that Mr. Brown had “rattled the keys” of 10 Downing Street over her husband ...
More About: Gordon Brown , Gordon , Amour

PES Group Photo Competition
2008-05-12 01:16:00
      In the framework of the 2008 European Year of intercultural dialogue, the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions (CoR) organises a photo competition which will enable young Europeans aged 18-25 to share their vision of the dialogue between cultures in their city and region. This competition, which is organised within the framework of ...
More About: Photo , Competition

Social Europe Interview with EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn
2008-05-02 10:01:00
In the last years, the number of EU member states has almost doubled from 15 to 27 members. This major extension has obviously had economic, political and cultural consequences. How do you think this enlargement was absorbed by the Union? And were there any political consequences? The fifth enlargement of the EU is a great success. ...
More About: Europe , Social , Interview , Enlargement , Commissioner

Spain and Italy: More alike than we think?
2008-04-30 14:02:00
By Dexter Thillien Over the past two months, Spaniards and Italians voted in, it may seem, very different governments. On the one hand, a progressive government, mostly made up of women ministers and headed by a young leader, won the election while on the other hand, an older conservative politician got elected to his third victory ...
More About: Italy , Spain

Europe and China ? Emerging Rivals or Partners?
2008-04-26 01:33:00
The new issue of Social Europe Journal deals with the dynamics of EU-China relations and the future of this pivotal connection. The primary subject of this journal is addressed in articles authored by Will Hutton, Linda Yueh, Mark Leonard, Andrew Cottey, Jörn-Carsten Gottwald and Niall Duggan. This issue also includes an exclusive interview with EU ...
More About: Partners , Rivals

Europe - A Break with American Strategy?
2008-04-23 01:10:00
Divisions are appearing across the Atlantic between NATO allies on both the prosecution and validity of the ?global war on terrorism? and on related issues ranging from Russia to the Middle East, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and on NATO itself. Some American commentators are calling this an ?existential crisis? for NATO. Professor Haseler presented a paper ...
More About: Europe , Strategy , Break

The Politics of the Beijing Olympics
2008-04-10 14:08:00
By Christopher McGuinness It’s often said that sports and politics shouldn’t mix. In the case of the Olympics , however, the two are strongly intertwined; the flags, the anthems, the glory of victory and the agony of defeat felt by entire nations. In short, it’s a competition predicated on political divisions and national pride. This is acutely apparent now in regards to the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games, six months before events begin. China was a controversial selection to host these Olympics, and what they thought would be their coming out party as an emerging superpower is now in great jeopardy. Recent protests in Paris, London, and San Francisco have raised awareness of China’s human rights record, and there has been much open discussion about potential Olympic boycotts. China’s dirty little secrets have never been very secret. But it’s only been recently that Western leaders have stopped spouting empty platitudes about the wonders of C...
More About: Politics , Beijing Olympics

Progressive Governance 2008
2008-04-03 02:06:00
In the wake of the Progressive Governance Conference 2008 , taking place in London this Friday, Policy Network has published a series of very interesting papers covering issues such as global governance, climate change, poverty and migration. The papers are written by international epxerts and can be downloaded here: http://www.policy-network.net/events/even ts.aspx?id=2114
More About: Globalisation

Don’t forget the Chaos
2008-03-28 13:16:00
By Hannah Lucinda Smith There is a small but telling piece of Sarajevo graffiti which reads ‘Don’t forget the chaos’. For most of us in Western Europe, whose mental picture of the Bosnian capital was sketched exclusively by the BBC and CNN in the early 1990s, the chaos is in fact all there is to remember. The last time the world saw the city and its people was when it was at the centre of the longest siege in modern European history; for nearly two years a gory theatre in which anyone who could get out did, and those who remained stood a one in five chance of being killed or injured by sniper or shell: that widescreen rendition of cruelty and suffering was the last we saw of Sarajevo. And, aside from the brief but poisonous conflict in Kosovo which Milosevic served up for afters two years later, it was the last we saw of the Balkans. But much has changed in Sarajevo over the intervening years, just as much has changed in the Balkans. In the ‘land of blood ...
More About: Chaos