Is social democracy in a terminal condition in Europe? It's in office almost nowhere and appears bereft of ideas in the face of the economic crisis that might have given it a historic opportunity. While accepting the truth of this, the contributors to this volume take a stand again those who claim that social democracy is dead. By arguing that social democracy is not a single set of ideas or practices but a way of reconciling market capitalism with social inclusion and equality, they show that it has actually been remarkably successful during the 20th century. Its key principles are still relevant but must be adapted to new conditions. This book examines the fortunes of social democracy in western and east-central Europe and the policy challenges in economic policy, labour markets, social welfare, public services, European integration and decentralization. Is social democracy in a terminal condition in Europe? This new study challenges the claim that European social democracy is deadIs social democracy in a terminal condition in Europe? It is in office almost nowhere and appears bereft of ideas in the face of the economic crisis that might have given it a historic opportunity. While accepting the truth of this, the contributors to this book take a stand against those who claim that social democracy has reached its end.By arguing that social democracy is not a single set of ideas or practices but a way of reconciling market capitalism with social inclusion and equality, they show that it has actually been remarkably successful during the 20th century. Its key principles are still relevant but must be adapted to new conditions. This book examines the fortunes of social democracy in western and east-central Europe and the policy challenges in economic policy, labour markets, social welfare, public services, European integration and decentralisation.Michael Keating is Professor of Politics at the University of Aberdeen. He is author of numerous books, the most recent of which include The Government of Scotland (Edinburgh University Press, 2005, 2nd edition 2010) and The Independence of Scotland (2009).David McCrone is Professor of Sociology at the University of Edinburgh. He has written and edited many books including Understanding Scotland (2001) and The Sociology of Nationalism (1998).Cover image: EL PAIS - DOMINGO European Social Democracy © Luis Tinoco.Cover design:[EUP logo]www.euppublishing.com Michael Keating is Emeritus Professor of Politics at the University of Aberdeen and was co-founder and Director of the Centre on Constitutional Change. David McCrone is emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Edinburgh; a Fellow of the British Academy, and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He co-founded the university’s Institute of Governance in 1999, and has written extensively on the sociology and politics of Scotland, and the comparative study of nationalism. His books include Who Runs Edinburgh? (Edinburgh University Press, 2022), The New Sociology of Scotland (Sage Publications, 2017), and The Sociology of Nationalism: tomorrow’s ancestors (Routledge, 1998). He coordinated a series of studies on national identity in Scotland and in England, funded by The Leverhulme Trust, which culminated in his co-authored book Understanding National Identity , published in 2015 by Cambridge University Press.