Understanding Social Democracy: Between Neoliberal and Authoritarian Capitalism

How can we understand social democracy today?This ambitious book offers a global perspective on the nature of capitalism; its past and future possibilities of survival; the differentiation between neoliberal, authoritarian and social democratic systems, exemplified by the United States, China, and the EU; and the conflict relationships between them.

Reflecting on urgent global risks, such as climate change, pandemics and nuclear confrontation - Mouzelis & Sotiropoulos explore why these risks can only be dealt with by the cooperation of these three major players in the global arena. They explore how the model of social democracy, which in the previous century tamed unfettered capitalism in some national contexts, can help contain the excesses of global capitalism now. In clear, compelling and coherent terms, the authors demonstrate how unchecked antagonism among these three major players has the potential to spill-over into inertia or reluctance to manage these urgent risks, to the detriment of humanity as a whole.

Dimitri A. Sotiropoulos is Professor of Political Science at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. He serves on the editorial board of the academic journals South European Societyand Politics, Journal of Mediterranean Politics, Southeast European and Black Sea Studies.

Nicos P. Mouzelis is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics, UK. He has published extensively in the fields of historical sociology, sociology of organizations, sociology of development and social theory He is the author of Modernity: Religious and Ethical Perspectives (2021).