Three Traditions of Solidarity Steinar Stjern

1
Three Traditions of SolidaritySteinar Stjernø

• Department of Social Policy and Social Work,
  Oxford,
• January 20 2009

2
Ideologies different levels

• The components of a concept
• Horizontal basic, adjacent and peripheral
  concepts
• Vertical basic and subordinate values, policy
  goals and instruments
• How basic concepts are regularly connected
  systems of concepts and values languages,
  discourses, morphologies

3
The components of solidarity

• Boundaries or inclusiveness
• Foundation or sources
• The goal or function
• The degree of collective orientation the
  relationship between the collective and the
  individual

4

• A historical and comparative perspective
• Social democratic and Christian democratic
  parties in Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy,
  Sweden, Denmark and Norway
• Platforms and election programmes, speeches and
  articles of leaders

5
History

• French 16th century law to Code Napoleon common
  responsibility for debt
• From law to politics during the French revolution
• Social and sociological theory Fourier, Leroux,
  Comte, etc
• Marx sceptical towards the concept
• In labour movement agitation from the 1840s/1850s
  in other countries as well

6
(No Transcript)
7
Towards social democracy

• Bernstein (1911) Freedom, equality, solidarity
• But inherent conflicts
• Early a key concept in Scandinavia
• Bad Godesberg 1959 A full language with freedom,
  justice, and solidarity (and equality?)
• Adopted by the Socialist International in the
  1970s

8

• Solidarity crowds out equivalent terms, but not
  untill the 20th century
• Foundation from interest and sameness to
  ethics, empathy, interdependence
• Goal From revolution and socialism to justice
  and social harmony
• Inclusiveness from industrial workers to
  workpeople, wageearners, third world, women,
  minorities, and the next generation
• Collective orientation from the collective and
  sacrifice of personal interests to realization of
  oneself

9
(No Transcript)
10
II The social democratic anomaly the Labour
Party

• Pragmatism and weak Marxist influence in early
  election programmes after1910 appeals to the
  people, all citizens or the nation
• 1918-programme social justice, freedom,
  friendship and good-will
• 1924, 1931-programmes brotherhood and stand
  together
• After WW II, radical reforms, but not wrapped in
  a language of solidarity
• Social justice, fair distribution, equality of
  opportunity, peace frequently mentioned values
  (from 1959)
• Social justice, fairness, individual freedom (and
  equality of opportunity) (1980s and 1990s)

11
New Labour - new rhetoric

• Labour Party Constitution
• A mixture of social democratic and communitarian
  and the language of the market
• Solidarity, justice, equality of opportunities
• The family, community, rights reflect duties
• The enterprise of the market, a dynamic economy

12
New Labour because Britain deserves better

• No language of basic values, contrary to other
  social democratic parties
• Frequent references to communitarian language
  (personal or moral responsibility)
• Blairs preoccupation with community not
  reflected
• Language of modernization (innovation,
  adaptability, creativity, etc)

13
III A competing concept Catholic solidarity

• Thomas Aquinas Natural rights, the dignity of
  man, the social character of private property,
  social integration
• Leo XIII Rerum Novarum (1891) a fair wage,
  government responsibility for the common good,
  the role of social institutions
• German social ethics 1870-1900 from charity to
  social integration and solidarity
• Solidarity against class conflicts improving
  social integration and social harmony

14

• Pius XI Quadragesimo Anno (1931) A fair family
  wage, the prinsiple of subsidiarity, state
  responsibility for social integration
• Christian democratic parties after WW II -
  particularly the German CDU, which in 1978
  adopted a full language of solidarity
• John Paul II Sollecitudo Rei Socialis (1989)
  Solidarity a key concept
• John Paul II Centesimus Annus (1991) A full
  language with solidarity, freedom, justice, the
  common good, personalism, subsidiarity
• European Peoples Party (1992)

15
(No Transcript)
16
Towards convergence, but not identical languages

• Social democracy

• Christian democracy

• Freedom, justice, solidarity
• (Equality)
• (Redistribution)
• Freedom more personal choice
• Justice more according to contribution

• Freedom, justice, solidarity
• (Equal worth)
• Personalism
• Subsidiarity

17
The flexibility of political languages

• The ambiguity of the values
• A redefinition of one values implies a change of
  the meaning of other values
• No logical or coherent hierarchy between basic
  and subordinate values, policy goals and
  instruments neither in social policy

18
Advantages of ambiguity and flexibility

• Provides identity and stability to party
  activists and core segments of voters
• Provides opportunity for adjustment to new
  economic constraints
• Gives greater freedom of action and makes
  compromises possible
• Creates opportunity to drift to ideology more
  adapted to individualism and the middle class

19

• Solidarity in Europe. The history of an Idea.
  Cambridge University Press 2005
• Social democratic values in the European welfare
  states. Culture and Welfare State. Values and
  Social Policy in a Comparative Perspective. W.
  van Oorschot, M. Opielka and B. Pfau-Effinger.
  Cheltenham/UK Northampton/ MA, USA, Edward
  Elgar.