Centre-left political economy
Economic competence, or at least the public perception of it, is indispensable to parties seeking to win elections and govern successfully.
Bringing together leading academics, policymakers and strategic thinkers from Europe’s social democratic parties to discuss why a real and credible progressive alternative approach to economic thinking remains elusive, Policy Network, La Fundación IDEAS and the Wiardi Beckman Stichting organised a small roundtable event in Madrid on 2-3 December 2010.
The keynote address was given by Miguel Sebastián Gascón, Spanish Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism.
The main purpose of the event was to consider why the European centre-left has historically struggled to wrestle the pivotal political mantle of economic competence from conservative, centre-right parties, and debate how, in the wake of a global financial crisis, social democrats can deliver a credible progressive model of political economy, both domestically and internationally.