ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the issue of similarities within the party family. Social Democratic policy formation seeks to maintain a decent Social and Economic Welfare State. Most Social Democratic parties have indeed made an impact on society through their political actions. The Social Democracy as a party family is a diverse amalgam of parties with roughly similar ideas how to transform society by means of parliamentary politics. The relationship between both equality and equity goes from weak around the 1960s to strong in 2010. The distinctiveness of Social Democracy has historically been its mission to fight for the working class, who without power resources had to battle for representation and recognition as political actors. The diversity of the party family appeared along the way in various manners, often due to differences in social and economic context, party competition, cohesion within the party organisation and ties with trade unions.
