PS100 Exam 1 Pt.B4 Social Democracy

Main Ideas/Features of Social Democracy

1. Liberal Democratic Principles:

   • accept the need for government, government limits capitalism

   • civic and political rights are not enough alone - economic rights also important

   • support for labor unions

2. Egalitarianism:

   • capitalism creates inequality but the government can correct this

   • economic equality: condition for economic democracy

3. Public Ownership:

   • Mixed economy

   • public ownership of some means of production (the basic needs)

   • nationalization of key industries

   • public industries and private industries exist (capitalism does not go away!)

4. Strong Welfare State

   • government provides key services: healthcare, education, retirement, etc.

   • cradle-to-grave welfare state for BASIC necessities

   • welfare state create economic equality

Equality in Social Democracy

requires all of civic, political, and ECONOMIC equality

Economic rights

Economic democracy

Shifting ownership and decision-making from corporate shareholders and managers to a larger group of public shareholders including workers, consumers, suppliers, and the broader public

Main similarities and differences between Social Democracy, Marxism, and Liberal Democracy

Social democracy combines elements of Marxism and Liberal Democracy:

• Social democracy accepts the need for government as a limit on capitalism (liberal democracy includes a constitutional government, Marxism does not)

• Social democracy accepts partial capitalism - there is still a private sector (liberal democracy fully accepts capitalism - free market, Marxism does not at all)

• Liberal democracy and social democracy accept the need for the protection of basic and civil rights, social democracy adds economic rights. Marxism considers rights to be a bourgeois concept.

• Social democracy calls for the public ownership of some means of production, Marxism calls for the public ownership of all means of production, and liberal democracy does not call for public ownership

• Social democracy calls for a strong welfare state, Marxism does not consider this to be enough reform, and liberal democracy calls for specific welfare