Pelle Dragsted — Nordic Socialism: The Path Toward a Democratic Economy - with Joe Guinan

In recent years, the Nordic countries have been the envy of the world for their economic success, their institutional stability, and their consistently high levels of social happiness. But are they socialist? Some prominent members of the American Right certainly think so, and in this book they may find a surprising ally. Pelle Dragsted is a member of the Danish parliament and the leader of the socialist political party Enhedslisten (red-green alliance). Contrary to most Nordic leaders, Dragsted accepts the charge of socialism and delivers a clarion call to lean into that description.In Dragsted's studied conclusion, Denmark and the rest of the Nordic countries are indeed already socialist, but only in part. The dangers faced by Norden come (and here many conservative American commentators will disagree) from the unhealthy encroachment of capitalism. His provocative starting argument is that capitalism and socialism are not in fact mutually exclusive, and already Nordic economies are hybrids, a mix of de-commodified, democratically governed sectors and undemocratic, privately controlled enterprises. The relevant question is the degree to which one dominates the other. Currently, undemocratic forces are ascendant, but it need not be so. Here, Dragsted offers both his diagnosis and his proposed solution, a comprehensive plan for a gradual (re)democratization of the economy and a move to fully and firmly embrace, and redefine, the charge of "Nordic socialism."PURCHASE BOOK: https://politics-prose.com/book/9780299353605?ic_referral=ml5srMt3rERZoZoED7y0dBAuPMRWIhkVWwkKa5V0_lwwM9uqJ_I_T-VBltfDeu81uakLcSs8qQT6XlRUdM3vfcLSP24sqUSqOVn7NgFbV1-3aNJjeVeOkSsEpdbY-32ksn8fUU4Pelle Dragsted is the leader of the Enhedslisten party in Denmark and a representative in the Folketing. He is the author of N ordisk Socialisme: På vej mod en demokratisk økonomi, which was first published in Danish to great acclaim.Dragsted is in conversation with Joe Guinan. Guinan is President of The Democracy Collaborative. His focus is on political economy, strategy, and economic system change, and he is co-author (with Martin O’Neill) of The Case for Community Wealth Building (Polity, 2020) and (with Christine Berry) of People Get Ready! Preparing for a Corbyn Government (O/R Books, 2019), which was named one of The Guardian’s best politics books of the year in 2019.