Social Democracy in the Global Periphery focuses on social-democratic regimes in the developing world that have, to varying degrees, reconciled the needs of achieving growth through globalized markets with extensions of political, social and economic rights. The authors show that opportunities exist to achieve significant social progress, despite a global economic order that favours core industrial countries. Their findings derive from a comparative analysis of four exemplary cases: Kerala (India), Costa Rica, Mauritius and Chile (since 1990). Though unusual, the social and political conditions from which these developing-world social democracies arose are not unique; indeed, pragmatic and proactive social-democratic movements helped create these favourable conditions. The four exemplars have preserved or even improved their social achievements since neoliberalism emerged hegemonic in the 1980s. This demonstrates that certain social-democratic policies and practices - guided by a democratic developmental state - can enhance a national economy's global competitiveness.

This book probes the origins of social-democratic experiments in the periphery and their viability in the face of globalization. Social-democratic regimes feature a democratically-controlled and proactive state that pursues equitable development within a largely market economy. Through a comparative analysis of four cases, the authors demonstrate that a virtuous circle of socio-economic development and democracy can occur under apparently divergent circumstances of capitalist transformation. Opportunities to achieve significant social progress exist, despite a global economic order that favours core industrial countries.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Social democracy in the periphery; 2. Burdens of history; Part II. Case Studies: 3. Kerala: radical social democracy as democratic deepening; 4. Costa Rica: resilience of a classic social democracy; 5. Mauritius: evolution of a classic social democracy; 6. Chile: the tumultuous path to the third way; Part III. Patterns and Prospects: 7. Social and political origins; 8. Challenges of globalization; 9. Prospects.