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European social democracy is in crisis. In the last decade it has ceased to be about either society or democracy. The authors explore its values, how it can be revived and what kind of political economy it requires to thrive. This book includes a foreword by the two leaders of the ´Building the Good Society´ project, Andrea Nahles and Jon Cruddas.

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Social democracy in our Time; J.Cruddas & A.Nahles Introduction: Building the Good Society; H.Meyer & J.Rutherford PART I: SOCIAL DEMOCRACY IN EUROPE Social Democratic Trajectories in Modern Europe: One or Many Families?; S.Berger The Europeanisation of Social Democracy: Politics without Policy and Policy without Politics; I.Hertner & J.Sloam The Preconditions of Social Europe and the Tasks of Social Democracy; S.Collignon PART II: A NEW POLITICAL ECONOMY A Decent Capitalism for a Good Society; S.Dullien , H.Herr & C.Kellerman So viel Zivilgesellschaft wie möglich; so viel große Konzernen wie nötig?(As Much Market as Possible; as Much State as Necessary); C.Crouch PART III: RE-FRAMING SOCIAL DEMOCRACY The New Language of Social Democracy; E.Wehling & G.Lakoff Social Democracy and Trade Unions; D.Tsarouhas The Greatest Happiness Principle: An Imperative for Social Democracy?; C.Kroll PART IV: POLITICAL FUTURES Dispossession; J.Rutherford The Challenge of European Social Democracy: Communitarianism and Cosmopolitanism United; H.Meyer Not Without a Future; J.Andersson The National in the Network Society: UKUncut, the English Defence League and the challenge for Social Democracy; B.Little & D.Grayson PART V: CONCLUSION The Way Ahead; H.Meyer & J.Rutherford Appendix: Building the Good Society; J.Cruddas & A.Nahles

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´Social democracy is on the retreat across Europe. A wave of new liberal and conservative governments have swept social democrats out of office, posing a series of fundamental questions about the nature and vitality of social democracy today. This book provides a systematic response to this and sets down pathways to reshape the social democratic project for the challenges of an era marked by the impact of the global financial crisis, renewed questions of political legitimacy and the contradictions of a global world - where the pressure to openness of economy and politics sits side by side with the pressure to reassert national politics and national identities.´

- David Held, Master of University College and Chair of Politics and International Relations, University of Durham, UK

´The much needed compendium of everything you may wish to know to understand (and, hopefully, to arrest) the forces behind the current falling apart of the social-democratic project. The editors have managed to secure cooperation of the most acute and insightful analysts of a paramount and most seminal, while portentous, phenomenon of our times.´

- Zygmunt Bauman, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Leeds, UK

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