Political Parties, Growth and Equality: Conservative and Social Democratic Economic Strategies in the World Economy
(Part of the Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics Series)
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Book Overview
Given the increased openness of countries to international trade and financial flows, the general public and the scholarly literature have grown sceptical about the capacity of policy-makers to affect economic performance. Challenging this view, this book shows the increasingly interdependent world economy and recent technological shocks have actually exacerbated the dilemmas faced by governments in choosing among various policy objectives, such as generating jobs and reducing income inequality, thereby granting political parties and electoral politics a fundamental and growing role in the economy. To make growth and equality compatible, social democrats employ the public sector to raise the productivity of capital and labour. By contrast, conservatives rely on the private provision of investment. Based on analysis of the economic policies of all OECD countries since the 1960s and in-depth examination of Britain and Spain in the 1980s, this book offers a view of how contemporary democracies work and reinvigorates the claim that they matter.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0521585953
ISBN13:9780521585958
Release Date:June 1998
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Length:296 Pages
Weight:0.95 lbs.
Dimensions:0.8" x 6.0" x 8.9"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
Electoral Politics Impact Public Policy Formation
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
Boix contends that parties and electoral politics matter in regards to public policies dealing with economic growth and employment. He contends that strategies differ between conservative and social democratic political regimes. Boix contends that conservative parties will pursue strategies which minimize benefits for lower-skilled workers while at the same time minimizing taxation for higher skilled workers while at the same time minimizing taxation for higher skilled workers in the hopes of spurring private investment. Social democratic parties pursue quite different strategies. They seek to increase the wages and skills of workers through public investment in things like education etc. though increased taxation on those more skilled, higher paid workers. Boix contends that such policies can lead to a split between lower-skilled workers on one hand and higher skilled workers on the other. The parties then view for control "over the center" (See Downs 1957). Then, depending on control of the center, specific policies - conservative or social democratic - will be pursued.
A pragmatical approach to different ideologies
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
In this book, Carles Boix has teached us with very rygourous tools, to consider the ideological bases and differences between social democracy policies and conservative ones. His sarchastical (and great) sense of humour can not be hidden all the time. When you find it, you enjoy the double with the book.
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