The Theory of Social Democracy

Introduction 1

Democratic theory as a framework 1

Social democracy and the social welfare state 4

Part I Political Theory 7

1 Social Rights, Risks, and Obligations 9

1.1 Contradictions in political liberalism 9

1.2 Social citizenship 17

1.3 Universal fundamental rights 20

1.4 Social risks and fundamental rights 26

1.5 Self-reliance and civic duties 38

1.6 Social democracy and sustainability 42

1.7 Justice and political integration 53

2 Regulation, Participation, and Actors 64

2.1 Political duties 64

2.2 Actors, systems, and strategies 68

2.3 Political actors in social democracy 70

2.4 Political steering and social democracy 80

2.5 Democratizing society 89

2.6 Civil society and liberal democracy 92

Part II Political Economy 97

3 The Social Market Economy 99

3.1 Fundamental rights and political economy 99

3.2 Public goods and civil rights 102

3.3 The market–state complex 107

3.4 Imbedding the economy 111

3.5 Varieties of Capitalism 113

3.6 Types of capitalism compared 121

3.7 The social market economy 125

3.8 The social market economy and globalization 127

4 A Rights-Based Welfare State 136

4.1 Social security regimes 136

4.2 Welfare state and welfare society 147

4.3 Labor and human dignity 148

4.4 Education as a crucial resource 152

4.5 Perspectives on sustainability 156

Part III The Politics of Globalization 161

5 Progressive Globalization 163

5.1 Social democracy and globalization 163

5.2 Global citizenship 167

5.3 Global governance 170

5.4 The global imbedding of markets 175

5.5 Globalization and political contingency 180

5.6 Shaping and coping 183

Part IV Cultural Foundations 189

6 The Universalism of Social Democracy 191

7 Cultural Divergence and Social Citizenship 196

7.1 Multiculturalism and political rights 196

7.2 Cultural difference and social citizenship 202

Part V Theory and Practice 207

8 Libertarian and Social Democracies Compared 209

Appendix 214

9 Defective and Consolidated Democracy 221

Conclusion 228

Notes 231

References and Bibliography 247

Index 269