CSE Hosts Lecture on the Decline of Europe’s Center-Left Parties
On February 8, 2022, the Center for the Study of Europe (CSE), an affiliated center of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, hosted a lecture by Georg Menz, Dragas Chair in International Studies at Old Dominion University, based on a forthcoming edited volume on the decline of Europe’s Center-Left parties.
The event, titled “The Decline of Europe’s Center-Left Parties,” was led by Sofia Perez, Associate Professor of Political Science at Boston University. In his remarks, Menz outlined the research for his upcoming book, which explored the poor electoral performance and membership of Europe’s center-left parties (social democrats, Labour, etc.), key issues that may drive support or dissent of these parties again, and how different political architecture attributes to some of these party struggles. In detailing his findings, Menz noted one factor of the decline is that in many European countries, the connection between politicians and the population they purport to serve has been severed as more leaders come from more affluent origins. These individuals rise through the ranks of parliament through think tanks and other political mechanisms and are thus disconnected from where their voters are: on the factory floor, on a construction site, on a farm, etc.
A recording of the event can be viewed below.
The mission of the Center for the Study of Europe is to promote understanding of Europe through its cultural heritage; its political, economic, and religious histories; its art, literature, music, and philosophy; as well as through its recent emergence as a new kind of international form through the European Union (EU). Operationally, the center provides a focal point and institutional support for the study of Europe across Boston University through coordination of teaching missions, support of research, community-building among faculty and students, and outreach beyond the University. Visit the center’s website for more.