These are tough times for social democratic parties. Defined by their support for a strong welfare state within a capitalist economy, these parties have seen their traditional voter bases erode in recent years. And in government, they appear to many to have abandoned any last signs of a radical reformist outlook. It has even led some to speculate that the social democratic era may be over.
There remains a large variation in the electoral success of social democratic parties. The dismal performance of the French Socialist party recently stands in contrast to the more successful trajectory of progressive parties in Australia and Spain.
