Is There a Future for Egalitarian Democracy in Europe?

The ‘golden age’ running from 1945 to 1980 saw the countries of Western Europe develop stable egalitarian democracies understood as political systems responsive to the citizenry and capable of substantial levels of redistribution.  To various degrees, after 1989, the countries of Eastern Europe joined them.  Prominent analysts, such as W. Streeck and T. Piketty, now argue that egalitarian democracy is no longer possible in Europe, while others, such as D. Soskice and K. Thelen, argue that it can continue under some circumstances.  I will review the challenges to egalitarian democracy arising from the economic, political and electoral realms and consider contemporary capacities to surmount them with an emphasis on political economy perspectives on the capacities of states, electoral coalitions and transnational institutions.