Left and Right in Global Politics

263 Pages·2008·1.55 MB·English

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Left and Right in Global Politics
Few notions are as universal as the idea of a left–right divide in politics.
Despiteitsdeathbeingfrequentlyforetold,theleft–rightmetaphorremains
the most common lens through which to interpret political life locally,
nationally,and globally.Left and Right inGlobal Politicsarguesthat the
left–right divideconnects these different levelsina worldpolitical debate.
Interpretingtheleft–rightdichotomyasanenduringdebateaboutequality,
Noe¨landThe´rienanalyzeopinionpollsandsocialdiscoursestodemonstrate
how this debate shapes both individual and collective views of public
affairs. Setting their findings in a historical perspective, they then show
that for more than two centuries the conflict between progressives and
conservativeshasstructuredbothdomesticandinternationalpolitics.They
conclude by discussing the implications of their argument for the analysis
ofworldpolitics,andcontendthattheleft–rightoppositionisheretostay.
ALAIN NOE¨L is Professor in the Department of Political Science of the
Universite´ de Montre´al.
JEAN-PHILIPPE THE´RIEN is Professor in the Department of Political
Science of the Universite´ de Montre´al.

Left and Right
in Global Politics
and -
ALAIN NOËL JEAN PHILIPPE THÉRIEN
Universite´ de Montre´al
CAMBRIDGEUNIVERSITYPRESS
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Cambridge University Press
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Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
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Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521880015
© Alain Noel and Jean-Philippe Therien 2008
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of
relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place
without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2008
ISBN-13 978-0-511-40910-3 eBook (EBL)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-88001-5 hardback
ISBN-13 978-0-521-70583-7 paperback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls
for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not
guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Contents
List of tables page vi
List of figures vii
Acknowledgements viii
Introduction 1
1 A clash over equality 6
2 A worldwide value divide 32
3 Two tales of globalization 56
4 The rise of the modern state system
(1776–1945) 83
5 The age of universality (1945–1980) 107
6 The triumph of market democracy
(1980–2007) 137
7 Twenty-first-century rapprochement 166
8 The core currency of political exchange 198
Conclusion 231
Index 236
v
Tables
2.1 Country means, mean deviations, and percentages of
don’t know/no answer, left–right self-placement,
1999–2001 page 36
2.2 Relationships between left–right self-placement
and attitudes about social justice and government
intervention, on a world scale, 1999–2001 43
2.3 Relationships between left–right self-placement
and qualities respondents find important to encourage
in children, on a world scale, 1999–2001 45
2.4 Relationships between left–right self-placement
and attitudes toward life, on a world scale, 1999–2001 45
2.5 Relationships between socio-economic attributes
andleft–rightself-placement,onaworldscale,1999–2001 46
2.6 Scores for relationships between left–right
self-placement and attitudes about social justice,
competition, and government intervention, in seventy-six
countries, 1999–2001 49
vi
Figures
1.1 The left, the right, authority, and liberty page 25
2.1 Left–right self-placement in the world, 1999–2001 34
2.2 Left–right self-placement in the United Kingdom,
the Netherlands, and Israel, 1999–2001 41
3.1 Share of people living on less than $1 a day
(% of population), 1981–2001 61
3.2 Number of electoral democracies, 1987–2005 68
3.3 GDP per capita in the poorest and the richest
countries, 1960–1962 and 2000–2002 70
3.4 Aid as a percentage of developed countries’
GNP, 1955–2006 75
vii
Acknowledgements
Everyone has an idea about the left and the right. This is why these
notions are so engaging and so fascinating. Their universal relevance,
however, also makes the two terms difficult to grasp in a systematic
manner.Aswith every conceptthatseemsmeaningfulandcleartoall,
“theleft”and“theright”encompassawiderangeofvaluesandpercep-
tions. In trying to make sense of these different standpoints, we were
helpedbyanumberofpeople,whodiscussedtheissuesatstake,made
suggestions,andwerealwayswillingtosharetheirviews,usuallyfirmly
held,aboutthesignificanceofleftandrightinglobalpolitics.
First thoughts and early drafts were presented at conferences or
meetingsinCanada,Egypt,France,Germany,Italy,Mexico,Que´bec,
Switzerland, and the United States. The book benefited very much
from this exposure to views from different parts and cultures of the
world. We are grateful to the organizers and participants of these
different gatherings for the occasion they gave us to exchange ideas
with them and for their comments.
In the academic year 2004–05, both of us were visiting scholars in
France, the country where the contemporary notions of left and right
wereborn,afittingenvironmenttogiveafirstimpulsetothisproject.
Alain was a guest of the Politiques publiques, Action politique,
Territoiresresearchcentre(PACTE),attheInstitutd’e´tudespolitiques
de Grenoble, a superb location for research and writing. Philippe
Warin and Bruno Jobert, in particular, provided support and
opportunities. Jean-Philippe spent the first half of the year at the
Centred’e´tudesetderecherchesinternationales(CERI)inParis.Later
that year, he was invited by the Centro de estudios internacionales
(CEI) of the Colegio de Me´xico, which offered a nicely comple-
mentary setting in a country of the global South. He is grateful to
Christophe Jaffrelot and Marie-Claude Smouts in Paris, and to Jean-
Franc¸ois Prud’homme and Maria del Carmen Pardo in Mexico City
for their hospitality and encouragement.
viii