The third way (book)

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Anthony Giddens published a book in 1998 (or in German: 1999) whose title in German translation is " The Third Way . The Renewal of Social Democracy ". In it he tries to adapt social democracy to the needs and consequences of the market. The starting point of Giddens' idea of ​​the Third Way is that social democracy must react to global changes. He states “the tendency of the 'social state compromise' to dissolve” (1999, p. 7). He describes the contrast between classical social democracy, which he calls the "old left", and Thatcherism or neoliberalism (the new right ).

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Giddens points out five dilemmas: globalization, individualization, the abolition of the right-left antagonism, a generally observed change in political action as well as “ecological necessities” that challenge social democracy. He criticizes the ideals of socialism and classical social democracy. Ideals are necessary for politics, but only make sense if there are also funds available for pursuing them (Giddens 1999, 12). Likewise inspired by political practice is his accusation against the Labor Party of 1988, whose theoretical foundation is lagging behind in practice (ibid.). Instead, ad hoc decisions are legitimized retrospectively, since conventional social democratic theory is outdated. This is not surprising for Giddens, however, since in his historical analysis of socialism he comes to the conclusion that the economic theory of socialism was inadequate from the start, "because it underestimated capitalism's ability to innovate, adapt and increase productivity" (Giddens 1999, 15).

As indicated above, Giddens derives the theory of the third way from five dilemmas. Accordingly, the innovations are to be seen as answers to these challenges. One of the characteristics of the third way is that it basically affirms globalization and seeks ways of “fighting economic and cultural protectionism” (Giddens 1999, 80). It is noticeable that the economy in both books on which it is based is viewed almost exclusively under the auspices of globalization and that the “new mixed economy” is also to be understood as an answer to this. In terms of economic policy, the third path in the social democratic tradition is interested in the goal of “social equality” (Giddens 1999, 81), but sees globalization and the associated free trade as a possible “engine of economic development” (Giddens 1999, 80). "The left has to make friends with markets, the role that companies play in creating wealth, and the fact that private capital is of crucial importance for social investment." (Giddens 2001, 43) At the same time, it should be noted that freedom for modern social democrats should mean “self-determined action” (81); and since the reduction of inequalities makes this possible, the demand for social equality and freedom always go hand in hand.

According to Giddens, the central mottos of the new policy should be “no rights without obligations” (Giddens 1999, 81, emphasis in the original) as well as the insight that the state is needed more than less (Giddens 2001, 95). This means a new relationship between the individual and society. The state grants rights and fulfills obligations itself, offers a “well-developed social system, not a minimal safety net” (Giddens 2001, 181), for example with social benefits, but couples these to conditions and obligations that each individual has in society (Giddens 1999, 81).

The second principle is democracy. The democratic principle is derived from the trend towards individualization, more precisely from the associated loss of tradition and habits as legitimation for decisions. That is why society needs a new legitimation for all decisions (Giddens 1999, 82).

The third characteristic is “philosophical conservatism” (Giddens 1999, 84). It should come into play in the areas of social solidarity and ecological modernization, but the fight against crime and crime as well as family policy should be conservatively inspired. In the case of modernization, which is necessary because of “ecological awareness” (Giddens 1999, 83), it is important to “ensure a certain degree of continuity and strengthen social cohesion” (Giddens 1999, 84). This should be made possible by integrating science and technology into the democratic process. The conservative traits in family policy can be seen in the fact that “promoting family cohesion, in particular protecting the well-being of children [...] is one of the most important goals of family policy” (Giddens 1999, 84).

Also of importance is the insight that the three core areas of power, i.e. state, economy and civil society, work together, but must also limit each other (Giddens 2001, 61). This is one of the signs that in the politics of the third way, social policy and economic policy cannot be clearly separated from one another, since the areas in Giddens' social concept flow into one another. The social policy measures of the “social investment state” are always to be understood in terms of the greatest possible pressure on the labor market.

The "classic social democracy" describes and criticizes Giddens with the following keywords:

Giddens describes and criticizes "Thatcherism" or "neoliberalism" with the following keywords:

The third way is to remove this contradiction.

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Giddens' analysis relates primarily to British politics of the 1990s, in which the political structures that had stalled after Margaret Thatcher's resignation from the political stage in 1990 were achieved through the 1997 election victory of Tony Blair's “ New Labor ” . At the same time, however, it is also part of the global debate about the “Third Way”, which he summarized in another book in 2001.

literature

  • Anthony Giddens: The Third Way. The renewal of social democracy. Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt am Main 1999, ISBN 3-518-41044-X ( Second Modern Edition ).
  • Anthony Giddens: Beyond Left and Right. The future of radical democracy. Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt am Main 1997, ISBN 3-518-40864-X ( Second Modern Edition ).
  • Anthony Giddens (Ed.): The Global Third Way Debate. Polity Press et al., Cambridge 2001, ISBN 0-7456-2741-2 .
  • Anthony Giddens: The question of social inequality. Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt am Main 2001, ISBN 3-518-41226-4 ( Second Modern Edition ), (Original: The Third Way and its Critics. Polity Press, Cambridge et al. 2000, ISBN 0-7456-2449-9 ).

See also

Web links