Those who hoped the collapse of financial markets would usher in the end of neoliberalism and rehabilitate support for traditional social democratic policies programmes have been disappointed. It is not only the irrationality of markets which is the focus of public discontent, but the inefficiency of states and the inability of elected governments to humanise and control global market capitalism. So, in the aftermath of the 2008 crash prompted by the failure of US financial services conglomerate, Lehman Brothers, this book addresses a deceptively simple question: what is to be done? It makes the case for a new, post-crisis settlement harnessing the dynamic traditions of social liberalism and social democracy as the foundation for progressive reforms geared towards alleviating crisis aftershocks and addressing the deep-seated structural challenges afflicting Western capitalist democracies.

The social democratic parties were once the strongest political forces in Europe. Today, however, they appear disoriented and rudderless, crucially lacking the ideological, intellectual, and organizational vitality which underpinned their strength in the post-war political landscape. Electorally marginalized, seemingly ideologically exhausted, and often out-of-step with the contemporary zeitgeist, European social democracy is currently in profound need of revision and renewal - potentially its very existence as a political force is under threat. This book marks a serious attempt to forge the intellectual backbone of a renewed social democracy fit for the 21st century. Bringing together leading academics, political thinkers, and policy experts, After the Third Way offers a new and original perspective on ideological and policy innovation, and will be invaluable reading for anyone interested in the future of social democracy.