ABSTRACT
There are four key systems in SLC: political, social, economic and environmental. At historic moments the alignment between these systems has shifted like a societal earthquake. For example, 1930s changes in the United States associated with the New Deal and in other Western countries with the rise of the welfare state marked a significant realignment in favour of the power of the political system. The end of the Soviet era marked a realignment in favour of both economic and social systems. The SLC cases described here are all part of a realignment in response to globalisation and environmental crises. At these historic moments the social contract is changed, and SLC initiatives are experiments to develop new social contract rules.
