The Hungarian Ruse
Two and a half months before the Hungarian parliamentary elections, the majority of foreign observers have presumptively called the outcome: the ruling party Fidesz will
Politics
Analysis and debate on European and national politics, democracy, the rule of law, parties and elections, and Europe’s place in the world.
History, Tax Cuts And Trump
A new wave of rising populism has affected and troubled many industrialized countries in Europe as well as the US. It is not a new
The Big Idea For Liberals
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, liberalism has been the “only game in town” across the whole of Europe. This is no longer the
Blaming Immigrants For Economic Troubles
Immigration has always been a prominent issue in American politics. It has become even more salient with the presidency of Donald Trump. A major debate
The Populist Hoax – Getting The Far Right and Post-Fascism Wrong
During my latest stay in the UK, I met some of my friends, who, surprisingly, told me that they felt the pro-Brexit campaign was very
The Future Of Europe – A Space For The Social Policy Avant-Garde
On March 1 2017, the European Commission set out a White Paper on the Future of Europe. There was none of the fierce debate that
Retooling Social Europe Via Charters Of Rights
The European Union’s fundamental goal, projected in the Lisbon Treaty, was to create a “social market economy” with a clear commitment to full employment, social
Davos Of The Many For The Few
It is easy to dismiss Davos as nothing more than a talkfest among greedy CEOs, cheerful philanthropists and photogenic celebrity activists. Yet this narrative –
European Social Democracy Extinct?
“In a constitutional state, the true ruler is the voter”, go the words of Ferdinand Lassalle, the champion of workers and intellectual force behind European
Where Do We Stand With “More And Better” Jobs In Europe?
The European Union has gone a long way since the Lisbon Strategy of 2000 with its “more and better jobs” objective. In parallel with the
The Neoliberal Roots Of The New Austrian Right-Wing Government
Soon after the newly elected Austrian government was formed as a coalition of the conservatives and the far right in December 2017, an appeal to
When Welfare Sabotages Lives
As Christmas approached last year, the United Kingdom accelerated the rollout of a social security scheme only Ebenezer Scrooge could have loved. The “universal credit”
Can Movement Politics Renew European Democracy?
Many people expected the big political story of 2017 to be about the triumph of populism in Europe. But things didn’t turn out that way.
Restoring Social Cohesion: A Project For 2018 And Beyond
Addressing the changes and the fracture in the relationship between the citizen and society has been a matter of great importance for me throughout my
Two Myths About Automation
Robots, machine learning, and artificial intelligence promise to change fundamentally the nature of work. Everyone knows this. Or at least they think they do. Specifically,
SPD Task Ahead: Enacting Communitarian And Cosmopolitan Values
What, in your opinion, is the historic position of the SPD in the German political system, and where does it stand now? It’s certainly an