The Good Society
Since 2008, German and British progressives have engaged in a multi-faceted debate on how to build the Good Society as a project for the democratic Left. This initially bilateral debate has developed into a European discussion on progressive ideas for our societies: Conferences in Istanbul, Stockholm, Berlin and London have debated various dimensions of the Good Society project: Democracy, Political Economy, Equality, Party Reform and Sustainability.
Publications as well as contributions to online debates or similar discussions around the world have since then characterised the ongoing Good Society work within the FES network.
Related Events
In 2013 already involved but also new actors reconvened in London to ask “What’s next for the Good Society”. In a workshop, the way ahead was discussed and it was concluded that the Good Society can only be achieved in a European framework. This approach was underlined by input the Good Society Group could feed into the PES manifesto process in the run-up to the European election 2014.
Our head office organises a yearly conference in Berlin:
- In 2014 it organised a conference on the socio-economic dimension of needed reforms to deepen the debate from various country perspectives.
- The social and economic crisis in Europe was the leading topic for the following gathering in September 2015 in Berlin
FES London continues to organise regular meetings within the project to discuss specific areas:
- In October 2015, FES London hosted a meeting addressing the question how the shape a democratic and digital future in Europe in the wake of the digital transformation, bringing together representatives from UK, Germany, Greece, Sweden, Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic.
The Good Society-debate has also been picked up by other FES offices in Europe (e.g. Czech Republic and Portugal) and beyond (South Korea, Mexico and Japan).
Related Publications
- Online debate on Social Europe Journal, broadening the initially bilateral debate to a European discussion on progressive ideas for our societies. 90 people from all over the world, among them politicians, academics and activists, contributed to the debate and the website had more than 20,000 visitors. For a summary of the online debate, please click here for the English version and the German version.
- This summary was translated into Turkish and Spanish. The English version of the summary was published in Renewal - a Journal of Social Democracy, whereas the Internationale Politik Analyse of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung published the German version.
- Edited by Henning Meyer and Jonathan Rutherford, The Future of European Social Democracy explores the values of European social democracy, how it can be revived and what kind of political economy it requires to thrive.
- The German collection of essays Die Gute Gesellschaft. Soziale und demokratische Politik im 21. Jahrhundert, edited by Henning Meyer and Christian Kellermann addresses the various challenges modern social democracy faces, outlining a “realistic Utopia” for our communal life.
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