Money, Markets, and the State

Money, Markets, and the State provides in-depth explanations behind the various successes and failures of the economic policies of social democratic governments in five Western European countries: Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands. Dr Notermans examines these economic systems from the inflation of the early twenties, through the Great Depression of the thirties and then continues his analysis up to present-day mass unemployment. Drawing on a wide range of historical and statistical sources, Dr Notermans argues that the fate of social democratic economic policy hinges critically on the political and institutional success of maintaining price stability and not on structural economic factors such as changing supply side conditions or increasing globalization of economic relations. Although social democracy has repeatedly been declared obsolete, the study concludes that even under present economic conditions, successful policies for full employment are possible by way of social democratic theory.

Money, Markets, and the State, first published in 2000, provides in-depth explanations behind the various successes and failures of the economic policies of social democratic governments in five Western European countries. Dr Notermans argues that the fate of social democratic economic policy hinges critically on the political and institutional success of maintaining price stability.

List of tables and figures; List of abbreviations; Acknowledgements; A note on terminology; 1. Social democracy in the macroeconomy; 2. Politics, economics and political economy; 3. Why was there no social democratic breakthrough in the twenties?; 4. The creation of the social democratic consensus; 5. The breakdown of the social democratic consensus; 6. Social democracy in the twenty-first century; Notes; References; Index.