Giddens and Politics beyond the Third Way

Assessing the political dimensions of Anthony Giddens' work from the 1970s to the present, this book highlights new directions for politics distinct from his Third Way. Kolarz provides an assessment of Giddens' political relevance and utility for present-day political endeavours, reflecting on the approach to critical social theory found in his early work, notably his theory of structuration and critique of historical materialism, and his consequent utopian realist analysis of late modernity. Giddens and Politics beyond the Third Way extracts from his work a rationale for global redistributive action, as well as an integrative approach to policymaking, suggesting that coherence of centre-left emancipatory politics requires coordination of policy areas previously thought of as separate.

"This book unlocks the politics of Anthony Giddens' entire works, spanning half a century. Re-invigorating the critical concept of 'utopian realism', Kolarz shows the original promise, failures and possible futures of Giddens' project, creatively re-read as an integrated political whole. An invaluable resource for Giddens's advocates and critics across disciplines, as well as an original introduction to his thought for the uninitiated." - Will Leggett, University of Birmingham, UK

"Giddens and Politics beyond the Third Way takes up some of the most pressing theoretical and practical problems of our age in an accessible and engaging manner. By way of a critical analysis of Antony Giddens' most ambitious sociological claims, Peter Kolarz provides readers with a comprehensive account of the challenges to social democracy today, the tasks of the state in the twenty-first century, and the prospects for individual autonomy in late modernity. The book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the proper relationship between facts and norms, and will be of great interest to students, academics and activists.' - Darrow Schecter, University of Sussex, UK

Autorentext

Peter Kolarz is Policy Research Consultant at Technopolis Group, UK. He studied for his PhD at the University of Sussex, UK and subsequently worked as a lecturer at the University of Portsmouth, UK.

Inhalt
Introduction. Anthony Giddens: Social Theory and Politics
Part I: Utopian Realism: A Political Reading of the Early Giddens

1. Critical Foundations: Structuration and System Transformation
2. Utopian Realism: Late Modernity Revisited
   Part II: The Countours of a Giddensian Politics
3. The Political Consequences of Late Modernity
4. Globalization and Capitalism
   Part III: The Third Way and Beyond: Critique and Reconstruction
5. The Third Way: A Utopian Realist Critique
6. Conclusion: Integrated Policymaking and the Transformation of Capitalism