Third Way

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Revision as of 10:02, 8 October 2011

British sociologist Anthony Giddens has been concerned with a redevelopment of sociology and the development of structuration theory. His most recent work deals with modernity and the effects of globalization and politics on social life. Giddens advocates the Third Way in politics. He elaborates his political ideas in his works ‘Beyond Left and Right’ (1994) and ‘The Third Way’ (1998). According to Giddens: "the overall aim of third way politics should be to help citizens pilot their way through the major revolutions of our time: globalisation, transformations in personal life and our relationship to nature" (Ritzer, 2003).

The Third Way in politics refers to a combination of Capitalism and the state Socialist economy. Third Way politics chooses a central position and combines rightwing economics with leftwing social policy. Examples of Third Way politics in practice are the New Labour governments in the UK (under Blair and Brown) and the ‘Neue Mitte’ in Germany (Under Schröder) (Giddens, 2002).

Third Way politics appeared shortly after the Asian Crisis, when rightist political thinking and conservatism were in retreat (Giddens, 2000, p. 6). Leftist thought had mostly been concerned with resisting neoliberal claims, and this energy could now be channeled into something more positive (Giddens, 2000, p. 7). Giddens argues people are entering new relations of trust and that they are becoming more and more dependent on each other and on their government. Left- and rightwing politics are disappearing because we start to realize there is no clear alternative to capitalism (Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens, 2011).

Third Way politics has been criticized by leftist thinkers because they say the reason why leftwing politics is losing ground is because leftwing politics is becoming more and more centrist. Giddens advocates a central position in politics with his Third Way but some Leftist thinkers believe it should be the other way around and leftwing parties should lean more towards the left and adhere more leftwing values. Third Way politics has also been criticized by libertarians and conservatives who emphasize laissez-faire capitalism (Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens, 2011).

Created by Judith Nijenhuis, S3009270

References

• Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens. (2011). Vinddatum 8 oktober 2011, op Wikipedia, op: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Giddens,_Baron_Giddens

• Giddens, A. (2000). The Third Way and its Critics. Blackwell Publishing.

• Giddens, A. (3 may 2002). The Third Way can Beat the Far Right. In The Guardian.

• Ritzer, G. (2003). The Blackwell companion to Major Contemporary Social Theorists. Blackwell Publishing.