Most studies of the mainstream centre-left social democratic and labour parties (e.g. the German SPD, the Spanish PSOE, the Australian Labor Party) have focussed on the national level. Many of the landmark studies of social democracy, including writers Sheri Berman, Herbert Kitschelt, Donald Sassoon and Gerassimos Moschonas, tend to focus on the history, issues and dilemmas that face the centre-left as a national phenomenon. Social democracy is often defined by its national settings, for example, the ‘traditional’ model of social democracy is commonly equated with the use of progressive taxation, Keynesian demand management, a strong welfare state, and a strong trade union movement. Social democracy, in most readings, is examined at the level of the national state.
The aim of this workshop, and related research outputs, is to examine more clearly how social democracy and the centre-left operate at the sub-national level - primarily at the regional (or state level), but also locally. At the sub-national level, the centre-left do not have the same or traditional policy levers open to their national counterparts – for example, Australian state governments have far fewer taxation powers than the national government. At the same time, however, devolved or reserved policy areas at the sub-national provide alternative arenas for progressive policy development. So, how do centre-left parties operate at the sub-national level? In the age of the current electoral crisis of the centre-left, can the sub-national variants of social democrats offer insights into how the national centre-left can refurbish and renew?
We are seeking articles which address these core questions and can include the following related themes:
