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Obfuscation through Integration: Legitimating ‘New’ Social Democracy in the European Union *
Author(s) -
BAILEY DAVID J.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
jcms: journal of common market studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.54
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1468-5965
pISSN - 0021-9886
DOI - 10.1111/j.0021-9886.2005.00544.x
Subject(s) - democracy , legitimation , ideology , european union , political science , political economy , social integration , politics , european integration , obfuscation , sociology , law and economics , economic system , law , economics , linguistics , philosophy , economic policy
Social democratic parties are increasingly supportive of European integration. Existing explanations view this as either a reassertion of social democracy at the supranational level, an adaptation to contemporary political institutions, or part of a general ideological moderation. This article argues that support for the EU enables social democratic parties to proclaim the possibility of social democracy at the supranational level, despite the absence of a substantive social democratic agenda. Thus, European integration enables social democratic parties to achieve legitimation by obfuscation through integration. This is illustrated in the cases of Sweden, the UK and France.