Our social democracies and welfare states face economic and governance challenges that threaten their very survival. Against this backdrop, Social Democracy, Capitalism, and Competition argues that a true social democracy requires a clear definition and a refocusing of the roles of the public and private sectors. Using his novel competition-based social democracy and new competition-based capitalism models, Marcel Boyer goes back to the basics. Returning to the foundational characteristics of what social democracy and capitalism are supposed to be, he reimagines how public and social goods and services – such as education, healthcare, and transport infrastructure – can be provided in a way that aligns with citizens’ best interests. Boyer shows how recent decades have witnessed a shift away from competition and competitive processes, toward more bureaucratic control of public and social goods and services and more ironclad protection of state providers against contestation by potentially competitive organizations. This crony capitalism results in loss of purpose, organizational inefficiency, and outcomes that increasingly deviate from their original objectives of social wellbeing. Boyer maintains that productivity gains, economic growth, and prosperity for all actually require a degree of income and wealth inequality. Written with a facility that will appeal to anyone interested in public policy and economic reform, Social Democracy, Capitalism, and Competition is a book all governments should have on their reading list.

French priest Joseph M. Paret (1807-1872) served in the missions of Louisiana from 1847 to 1869 as pastor of the Little Red Church, located upstream from New Orleans on the east bank of the Mississippi River. During his somewhat lonely tenure, Paret sketched landscapes, architecture, and interiors, capturing everyday life in prosperous St. Charles Parish. In 1987, fifty-three watercolors were discovered -- still bound in their original sketchbook -- among his personal effects. Plantations by the River contains twenty-eight of these paintings created in or about the year 1859. Paret's insightful artwork provides a visual social history of the antebellum creole culture of south Louisiana and documents properties in addition to structures and furnishings of the period. The book features full-size reproductions of Paret's paintings, which have been restored to their original vibrancy. The value of Paret's detailed folk art lies in the accuracy of his depiction of the region he lived in. He faithfully renders parishioners attending church, men pulling driftwood from the Mississippi River, and the edifices and flora gracing local plantations Ormond and Good Hope, among many others. The text is presented in both English and French; and as a supplement to the art, an appendix of excerpts from Mon Journal d'Amerique -- a collection of correspondence between Paret and his family -- is included. The beautiful, brightly colored paintings of Plantations by the River are a rare discovery and provide a unique view of rural Louisiana life before the onset of the Civil War.

Dans un contexte où les défis auxquels font face nos démocraties sociales et nos États providence menacent leur survie même, cet ouvrage propose une définition claire et une réorientation des rôles que peuvent jouer les secteurs public et privé. À l’aide de nouveaux modèles, l’auteur en revient aux caractéristiques fondamentales de ce que la social-démocratie et le capitalisme fondé sur la concurrence sont censés être. Il analyse la façon dont ces derniers ont cédé le pas devant un contrôle bureaucratique accru des biens et des services publics et sociaux – éducation, soins de santé, infrastructures de transport – et la protection renforcée des fournisseurs étatiques contre des organisations potentiellement compétitives. Selon lui, ce « capitalisme de connivence » conduit à une perte de sens, à une inefficacité organisationnelle et à des résultats qui s’éloignent toujours plus de leurs objectifs initiaux de servir au mieux les citoyens. Un brin provocateur, il soutient qu’un certain degré d’inégalité de revenus et de richesse, contrairement à ce qu’on peut croire, amène des gains de productivité, la croissance économique et la prospérité pour tous. Un livre que tous les politiques – et tous ceux et celles qui s’intéressent à la question – devraient avoir sur leur liste de lecture.