social democracy it is a economic and political model which gained prominence in the 20th century, after the proposition of an economic model to guarantee full employment, by John Maynard Keynes; The 1929 crisis the New York Stock Exchange; and the evidence of the glaring social inequality caused by capitalism.
Know more: Marshall Plan: the kickoff of social democracy in Europe
what is social democracy
Social Democracy is not a single theory, but a set of practices aimed at opposing the liberal model economy, which became strong in the West after the Industrial Revolution and liberal reforms. the revolutions french and English, who opposed the absolutist monarchy, established a new way of thinking politics, based on freedom and free market initiative, which opened doors for the bourgeoisie to access private property.
Along with this new way of thinking, it was created in Europe and the United States (with the
american independence and the establishment of republicanism) a liberal state or Rule of law, which aimed to provide conditions for economic growth through the work and individual effort.The scenario resulting from this way of governing the economy, based on liberal doctrine, continued the social inequality, as the bourgeois, owners of the means of production, exploited the labor of the proletariat, which, on behalf of the low wages and the scarcity of rights, could not accumulate money.
In the liberal view, the market must regulate itself, without any State interference. A critical view of the liberalism it even points out that there must be unemployment, as this creates what they call maintenance army of workers (idle workers desperate for a job in the market), and this makes it possible for wages to remain low and the economy to grow.
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O high unemployment ratetriggered serious economic crises at the beginning of the 20th century, and the most accentuated of these was the crisis of the New York stock exchange in 1929. With this, the English economist John Maynard Keynes developed a economic theory which aimed to maintain full employment in order to avoid further crises.
Along with Keynes' idea, social democracy began to gain strength, as the objective of maintaining full employment was common to both economic visions. The central point of convergence of these two theories is the idea that the government must interfere in the economy so that everything adjusts. The point of divergence is that the social-democratic proposal aims to create a Democratic state that guarantees access to basic services to the entire population, creating a state of social welfare, which, in the view of Keynes, would automatically be caused by the guarantee of employment.
To promote access to basic services and the consequent welfare state, it is necessary to create a state intervention plan in the economy and state institutions that provide basic services. The money to create and maintain state institutions must come from taxes collected from the entire population and, to a greater extent, from the private sector.
This made several private sectors and economists, such as theorists of the Austrian School of Economics Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek, took a stand against this economic practice and developed a new economic doctrine, based on non-intervention by the state in the economy and in the reduction of the public machine, call of neoliberalism.
We can attribute the application of neoliberalism to the StatesUnited, between 1938 and 1945, by the call newDeal in the president's government Franklin Delano Roosandvelt, who tried to create a model of valuing life and people, in order to end social inequality in the country.
We can also identify the governments adopted by the Finland, for the Norway and for Netherlands from the 1970s onwards, in basic reforms that reduced social inequality through investment in health and, above all, free basic and higher education for the population. In these countries, social democracy was successful, as they concentrate the highest human development indices (HDI), the lowest levels of social inequality and crime and illiteracy rates close to zero.
Read more: Contemporary slave labor: consequence of social inequality
Social Democracy and Socialism
The most radical critics (in general, part of the supporters of the liberalism economic and conservative) of social democracy accuse the Social Democrats of being inspired by the socialism. As a political doctrine, the scientific socialism of Karl Marx aimed to create a state communist in which private property would be extinguished and the State would take over the entire economy, through an authoritarian government.
Part of the liberal criticism against Social Democracy may even make sense, as Social Democrats think of an expansion of the State for the creation of bodies that allow the provision of basic services to the population, such as hospitals, public schools and social interventions (such as benefits for the unemployed, public pension plan etc.). However, the main capitalist and liberal agenda is maintained in social democracy, while the socialists reject it: private property.
Social Democracy and Health
The social-democratic model values the provision of free basic services to the population because it sees that this is the way out for the greater development of a country. In this sense, in addition to promoting secular, free and universal education, the social democratic model aims to provide direct basic health services (hospitals, treatments and medical consultations) andindirect (sanitation, assistance in family planning and birth control, promotion of healthy eating, etc.).
O Unified Health System (SUS) in force in Brazil it is, in theory at least, a perfect example of how social democracy works. In it, anyone has the constitutional right to be treated, regardless of socioeconomic status, nationality, political, judicial or civil status, or any other factor. The problem is that, in practice, the lack of investments, poor management and misuse of funds prevent the model from working correctly.
You European social democratic countries, in particular Nordic countries such as Finland, Denmark and Sweden, offer health plans at low costwith quotas to serve people who cannot pay the minimum amount established by the plans, guaranteeing the population full access to quality health services.
See too: 1988 Constitution: the origin of SUS
Positive and negative points of social democracy
We cannot establish positive and negative points of a political movement without adopting a perspective. Therefore, we list the negative points of social democracy, according to neoliberals, and its positive points, according to social democrats:
→ Negative points
Swelling of the State, which generates excess expenditure;
Excessive tax collection;
State interference in the economy.
→ Positive points
Full employment;
Reduction of social inequalities;
Better quality of life.
by Francisco Porfirio
Sociology Professor
