Political Parties, Growth and Equality: Conservative and Social Democratic Economic Strategies in the World Economy

by Carles Boix

Book Overview

Given the increased openness of countries to international trade and financial flows, the general public and the scholarly literature have grown sceptical about the capacity of policy-makers to affect economic performance. Challenging this view, this book shows the increasingly interdependent world economy and recent technological shocks have actually exacerbated the dilemmas faced by governments in choosing among various policy objectives, such as...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521585953
• ISBN13: 9780521585958
• Release Date: June 1998
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Electoral Politics Impact Public Policy Formation

Boix contends that parties and electoral politics matter in regards to public policies dealing with economic growth and employment. He contends that strategies differ between conservative and social democratic political regimes. Boix contends that conservative parties will pursue strategies which minimize benefits for lower-skilled workers while at the same time minimizing taxation for higher skilled workers while at the same time minimizing taxation for higher skilled workers in the hopes of spurring private investment. Social democratic parties pursue quite different strategies. They seek to increase the wages and skills of workers through public investment in things like education etc. though increased taxation on those more skilled, higher paid workers. Boix contends that such policies can lead to a split between lower-skilled workers on one hand and higher skilled workers on the other. The parties then view for control "over the center" (See Downs 1957). Then, depending on control of the center, specific policies - conservative or social democratic - will be pursued.

A pragmatical approach to different ideologies

In this book, Carles Boix has teached us with very rygourous tools, to consider the ideological bases and differences between social democracy policies and conservative ones. His sarchastical (and great) sense of humour can not be hidden all the time. When you find it, you enjoy the double with the book.