Delivering Empowered Welfare Societies
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Delivering Empowered Welfare Societies With foreword by: Alfred GUSENBAUER Edited by: Ernst STETTER Karl DUFFEK Ania SKRZYPEK TAKING THE LEAD: SEIZING THE INDEX MOMENT, TAKING RESPONSIBILITY AND DEVISING A NEW SOCIAL COMPACT FRAMING A NEW PROGRESSIVE 145 Rethinking the European Social NARRATIVE Model 6 Introduction Dimitris TSAROUHAS Ernst STETTER, Karl DUFFEK 166 A Social Compact for a Social & Ania SKRZYPEK Union: A Political and Legal 15 How the Things Unfold... Window of Opportunity? Alfred GUSENBAUER Steven VAN HECKE, Johan LIEVENS & Gilles PITTOORS FOCUSING THE AGENDA: EQUALITY, QUALITY EMPLOYMENT 184 Socio-Economic Policy AND DECENT LIVING STANDARDS Making and the Contemporary Prospects for a ‘Social Europe’ 28 Wage, Employment, Working Alternative Conditions and Productivity: David J. BAILEY A New Focus on Quality Rémi BAZILLIER 202 Delivering Public Welfare Services in the Europe of 52 The Economic and Austerity. Responsibility vs Social Consequences Responsiveness? of the Obsession with Amandine CRESPY Competitiveness in the EMU Ronny MAZOCCHI 228 “Daring More Democracy” – Refl ections on the Future 72 Public Investments… To Do Foundation of Welfare Society What? Beyond ‘Bread and Pascal ZWICKY Butter’ Social Democracy Carlo D’IPPOLITI ACTING THROUGH EUROPE: SOLIDARITY, POLITICIZATION AND 90 The Politics of Productivity: COMMUNITARIAN METHOD Big Data Management and the Meaning of Work in the Post 258 External and Internal Crisis EU Challenges to Social Michael WEATHERBURN Democratic Leadership in Europe 110 Gender Equality: judicial Robert LADRECH framework and protection at the EU level 274 Who is that Spitzenkandidat? Nadia CARBONI The Press Coverage of Martin Schulz and his 2014 European 128 Inequality, the Role of Campaign Government, and the Challenge Isabelle HERTNER of Winning the White Working Class in the United States 290 A Differential Emergence John HALIPIN & Ruy TEIXEIRA of Europarties? European institutions and Cartel of Domestic Parties Erol KÜLAHCI 3 310 Defi cits and Dilemmas: the Irish Labour Party in Government and Policy on the EU Michael HOLMES 324 The European Union: From an Existential Crisis toward Experimental Federalism (Going beyond Rodrik’s Trilemma) Matjaz NACHTIGAL PAVING THE VISION: A GOAL TO REACH, A STRATEGY TO UNITE AND A NARRATIVE TO CONVINCE 348 Towards Equity and Growth in European Welfare Societies: The Predistribution Agenda Patrick DIAMOND 370 Why Do Social Democrats Switch to the Radical Left: Evidence from Germany, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands André KROUWEL & Yordan Delivering Empowered Welfare KUTIYSKI Societies First published in Poland in 2016 388 The Emergence of the New By FEPS - Foundation for European Progressive Politics: Podemos Studies Oriol BARTOMEUS Editors of the "Next Left" book series: 404 The Greek Debt Crisis, Dr. E. Stetter, Mag. K. Duffek, Dr. A. Skrzypek “Superfi cial” Social Democracy, Designed by: Ofi cyna Wydawnicza ASPRA-JR and PASOK: Lessons for Cover design by: Les Marquisettes European Social Democracy www.lesmarquisettes.be Gerassimos MOSCHONAS Copyright ©FEPS – Foundation for European 426 Empowering the People: Social Progressive Studies and RI – Renner Institut. Democracy and the Future of This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not be by way of trade or otherwise be lent, the Welfare Society resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without Kristian WEISE publishers’ prior consent in writing in any form 442 To Change or Be Changed… of binding or cover other than that in what it is published and without a similar condition being The Evolution of the Welfare imposed on subsequent purchaser. Agendas of the Progressive 978-3-85464-042-4 Parties in Europe and the 978-83-7545-678-3 Perspectives for an Ideological This book represents not the collective views of Shift in the Future FEPS or RI, but only the opinions of the respective Ania SKRZYPEK authors. The responsibility of FEPS and RI is limited to approving its publication as worthy of consideration 450 BIOGRAPHIES within the global progressive movement. 464 FEPS NEXT LEFT Publication has been printed with the fi nancial PUBLICATIONS support of the European Parliament Delivering Empowered Welfare Societies Ernst STETTER, Karl DUFFEK & Ania SKRZYPEK Introduction 7 The notion that Europe fi nds itself at crossroads is perhaps as old as the continent itself. In more modern times, it was a challenge to put in place a project that would ally former enemies after the War and bring them into a peaceful coexistence, through which they could seek reconstruction. While the Community was launched, then year after year, a new defy would emerge. Dealing with them one after another has always prompted speeches about the one at hand being the matter of “life and death”, while in fact subsequent solutions would consequently make Europe emerge from them stronger. This sinusoidal development pattern became a characteristic of the European Union, encouraging all to believe that for every predicament there is a solution that would comprise progress. That has been true even for the last democratic crisis, when in 2005 the citizens of France and the Netherlands rejected the proposal of the Constitutional Treaty – pushing the Union’s authorities into a certain impasse. But it was eventually overcome with a period of refl ection and another Treaty (the Lisbon one), which ensured certain advancement. Exemplary of that are: the introduction of the European Citizens’ Initiative and the provision that the President of the European Commission should be a representative of the largest group in the European Parliament. The later one soon after prompted a move towards politicization of the European elections through emergence of the so called Spitzenkandidaten. However disputable in the larger context the actual impact of these changes may be, the fact remains that it has been so far the last effectual fi x to a major crisis. Yet sadly, 2005 was at the same time not the last predicament Europe has been faced with. In that sense, the economic crash of 2008 and its’ consequences turned out to be more devastating than anticipated at the beginning. It not only put in question specifi c policies or instruments, but it boosted the power of those, who have been arguing that Europe doesn’t work. It offered them a momentum to raise more of an existential question. This resonated in the results of the European Elections 2009, of which tendencies have been further reaffi rmed in the subsequent vote of 2014. Falling turnout, that until then had been the major preoccupation, stabilized eventually – in fact was not a signifi cant news, in a long term compared with how divided the casted votes would become. They expressed a wide range of oppositional standpoints – from the ones distancing themselves from so called “traditional” historical parties to the ones distancing themselves from any political force willing to operate within the established political system. Populist, extremist and anti-systemic forces rose in strength, which resulted in a situation in which the European Parliament (EP) became a fl oor for the voices that would never be able to gain enough support to enter the national assemblies at the same time. The bitter uneasiness of the situation was perhaps sweetened a bit with the fact that regardless of the proceeding fragmentation within the EP and the radicalization of the anti-European voices, it was nevertheless possible to contain the framework allowing the major political groups to strike a balance in appointing the European Parliament and the European Commission offi cials. Their commitment to the functioning order have been further consolidated, while the subsequent documents were issued – outlining the work plan of the European Commission, stipulating the consensus on the state of play via the Five Presidents Report or offering a pan-European mandate on behalf of the European Parliament in the Joint Resolution regarding the European Commission’s Agenda for 2016. Nevertheless although those developments were welcome in Brussels, they have not accomplished to become frameworks for actions that would profoundly change the tides overall. In that sense, Europe is still been seen as beingincapable of lifting itself from the depression after the 2008 crisis – and to that end, painted by national leaders as faceless- power imposing unpopular austerity. Against the pleas to see it not as a problem but as a solution, the public verdict was to rather blame EU and its rulings for the fact that it continued to be impossible to restore growth and welfare. Alongside these convictions, the EU has been failing a test of its economic sustainability. But regardless of the new (Lisbon) Treaty and the sparkle of hope brought within the EU elections of 2014, it was also seen as weak in proving its credentials as defender and pursuer of democracy. The absence of measures, which would stop the authoritarian changes fi rstly in Hungary and then in Poland, have been quite apparent. And although rhetorically strong, the EU exposed its weakness as far as power for action. The debates with the Prime Ministers of these two countries turned rather into their rallies mobilizing further the support back home in the name of ‘sovereignty and the right to self determination legitimized by their voters’. This has not yet been the whole story of course. Issue after issue, the EU seems to have been further proving unable to conceptualize and unite Members behind a common solution. The migration challenge has been the prominent example here, where the States displayed yet again that it is not solidarity, but rather “every man for himself” motto that drives them in separatist attempts to contain the situation within the limits of their national borders. Consequently, though unthinkable just a couple of years back - Europe has seen DELIVERING EMPOWERED WELFARE SOCIETIES 9 an unprecedented set back with borders rising and Schengen Agreement being informally suspended. To that end, on the back of those actions racism and xenophobia have been sanctioned as a part of a political discourse, which would quickly spread and transcend into popular grasp of the situation.