ABSTRACT
This chapter deepens Americans’ understanding of the political and economic developments that have forced societies—advanced societies in particular—to develop greater governing capacities geared toward the legitimate uses of authority and power. It focuses on those spheres of governance that bear on the social democratic landscape. The chapter elucidates a conception of social democracy that can better inform Left political thinking and action in the United States at this particular historical moment. The premise is that economic and social policymaking in the United States will be forced to move much further to the Left than at any other time in the past several generations. Planning and policymaking will need to make inroads on social justice, racial and environmental rectitude and government planning relative to the direction of the economy, most especially in terms of the impact of the economy on the country’s ability to protect and advance the public interest.
