Post-2001 Radicalization

Abstract

Several factors combined to paint a rosy picture as European varieties of capitalism approached the new millennium. There was a return to higher economic and employment growth in many countries. Moreover, this did not accompany the dismantling of the welfare state or other aspects of the political economy associated with European varieties of capitalism (such as the role of organized labour), in many countries. The most internationally famous example at the time was the Dutch case, but the revival of the Swedish economy, and the improved prospects for the French and German economies, appeared to provide grounds for a more positive assessment.