French Socialism in a Global Era: The Political Economy of the New Social Democracy in France
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This book explores the "crisis of social democracy" within the context of the European political economy. It focuses on the French socialist party, which has developed a successful economic strategy and a distinctive ideological profile at just the time the "End of History" theorists were predicting social democratic politics had reached the end of the road in Europe. London: Continuum, 2003 |
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'French Socialism in a Global Era is ambitious both theoretically and empirically. Clift demonstrates a very sure theoretical and empirical touch and an impressive capacity to synthesise various literatures and apply them to different facets of Socialist Party experience. The book is rigorously researched, and also very wide-ranging. Clift demonstrates convincingly how internal party dynamics (organisational, intellectual, institutional) can mediate the effect of exogenous and endogenous changes, and very convincingly challenges some of the central presuppositions of the end of social democracy and end of history schools.' |
| 'This is a clearly structured, cogently argued and well-written book. It provides both an excellent account of the development of the socialist party in the post-Mitterrand era and a stimulating investigation of the potential for a social democratic vision distinct from the current neo-liberal orthodoxy of the international political economy.' Professor Raymond Kuhn, Queen Mary & Westfield College |
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