This book tackles one of the most pressing issues currently facing centre-left governments: social inequality. At a time when the traditional mechanisms of social cohesion have been undermined by greater individualism, the globalization of production, and the fragmentation of social life, the challenges posed by inequality are more pronounced than ever before. As communities and cultures become more complex, social solidarity and social justice can increasingly seem like impossible ideals.





Bringing together original contributions from globally...

This book tackles one of the most pressing issues currently facing centre-left governments: social inequality. At a time when the traditional mechanisms of social cohesion have been undermined by greater individualism, the globalization of production, and the fragmentation of social life, the challenges posed by inequality are more pronounced than ever before. As communities and cultures become more complex, social solidarity and social justice can increasingly seem like impossible ideals.





Bringing together original contributions from globally...

This book makes an essential contribution to the debate now opening up over the future of Europe in the wake of the demise of the Constitution. Since 1989 much about the European Union has changed, including the very definition of 'Europe' itself. The EU has enlarged to 25 countries and the division between Western and Eastern Europe has disappeared.

The EU has responded positively to these changes, not only by making a success of enlargement, but by pushing ahead with the Single Market and the Single Currency. These very successes, however, have led to a reaction. Those who...

In Crosland s Legacy, noted political writer Patrick Diamond explores the contemporary impact of Anthony Crosland s writings on the British Labour Party, in particular through his work The Future of Socialism, published nearly sixty years ago. Despite widespread questioning of many of Crosland s assumptions alongside obvious and important changes in British society and the economy since The Future of Socialism was published, Diamond argues that Crosland continues to serve as a key intellectual reference point for today s Labour Party. In making the claim that socialism is...

What is the relationship between the principles of social justice and global justice? How can we best reconcile the quest for greater social justice 'at home' with greater social justice in the world? Are the social justice pressures our societies currently face the result of globalisation or are they domestically generated? How can we advance social justice in the light of the new social realities? In this volume, leading international experts offer compelling answers to these questions.

The aim of this volume is to articulate a modern conception of social justice that remains relevant...

Number Ten Downing Street and the Cabinet Office are at the apex of power in British government, but relatively little is known about the day to day functioning of these great institutions of state. With an unprecedented level of access, and wide-ranging interviews from former ministers, senior civil servants and political advisers, Patrick Diamond examines the administrative and political machinery serving the Prime Minister, and considers how it evolved from the early years of New Labour to the election of the Coalition Government in 2010.

Drawing on previously unpublished...

The debate surrounding economic policy in the UK has recently been heavily focussed on determining the appropriate response to the financial crisis and recession. There has been less discussion about the nature of the UK s political economy. Leaving the UK s model of political economy unchanged is, however, not an option in the modern global economy. The existing model has resulted in an unbalanced economy with relatively low productivity and a structural balance of payments deficit. Without reform, these problems will not go away and could worsen. A debate about what Britain s new economic...

First account of presdistribution - a new way ahead for progressive politics.

After a period of electoral dominance, centre-left parties in western Europe have suffered a dramatic erosion of support; the vote share enjoyed by social democrats is at its lowest ever level. Social democracy stands at a point of great promise, but also peril. This book explores these themes and argues that to write off centre-left politics now would be a great mistake. It counters the idea that social democratic values have been rejected by voters. The ideal of solidarity and the need to forge bonds of connection in a volatile, interdependent world is as compelling as it always was. At the...