In these crisis times there is a premium on utopian thinking—but also practical proposals and the power resources to make change real.
Reversing The Globalisation Backlash
Reversing the backlash against globalization requires active politics in two opposite directions: the strengthening of democracy beyond the level of the nation state; and strenuous efforts at local economic development. In The Globalization Paradox Dani Rodrik argued that we have a choice among democracy, national sovereignty and hyper-globalization, a trilemma, and that we could have […]
Why The Left Must Resist Wanting A Piece Of The Xenophobic Action
Since 2008 the left around the advanced world has dreamed of a popular uprising against the neoliberal elite that brought us the financial crash. Now that uprising has come, but it has been almost entirely captured by a far right mobilizing hostility against immigrants, the European Union, other forms of international co-operation, globalization and foreigners […]
UK Labour: Credibly Redefining Left Of Centre
What would you say is the historic position of the Labour Party in the UK political system and where does it currently stand? Certainly, since the Second World War it has been the second or main party in the country – that remains the situation today. It, and the Conservative Party, used to dominate the […]
Riddle: When Is A Chlorinated Chicken Better Than A Regulated Banana?
Answer: When the chicken has been accepted in an across-the-table negotiation, and the banana regulation has been agreed among a group of partners on the same side of the table. If you grasped that riddle, you will be ready for this one: When does submission to a rule constitute an offence against national sovereignty? Answer: […]
Can Insecure Workers Be Confident Consumers?
A paradox that lies at the heart of capitalism is that economies need consumers to be confident spenders of money on the one hand, while on the other workers’ must accept insecurity and flexibility in their main supply of money: employment income. Professor Colin Crouch considers the implications of this, and looks at the ways it […]
Why We Need A More Substantive European Democracy
Are we witnessing a transition toward a post-democratic society? In an interview with EUROPP’s editor Stuart Brown, Colin Crouch discusses democracy within the EU, the use of direct democracy in states like the UK, and the role of non-political actors in strengthening pluralism and civil society through avenues such as social media. You’ve previously written on the […]
Why We Need More Social Europe
Globalization makes international collaboration more urgent; but it also makes it less likely to happen. Marketization requires social policy, not only to combat the negative effects of markets, but also to support the market with things it cannot provide for itself; but marketization and social policy are usually seen as opposed projects. For Europeans, confronting […]