DEMOCRACY MODELS
MAMPHELA RAMPHELE: Why liberalism no solution for diverse SA
SA is struggling to become a national community due to too much inequality, not too much collectivism
In his criticism of DA leader Mmusi Maimane, Neels Blom asserted that: "…liberalism is the go-to ideology. The western liberal model is the measure against which socioeconomic wellness is assessed." (The answer, Mr Maimane, is to break free of collectivism, August 21) How could Blom make such a bold claim in the face of historical evidence to the contrary? The idea of "a western liberal model" is belied by the plurality of models of democracy and socioeconomic approaches in much of Western Europe and North America. The inadequacy of a singular liberal model is borne out by the predominance of sociodemocratic models in Scandinavian countries that focus on solidarity rather than on individualism. Germany also learnt from the post-World War Two experience of following a liberal economic system that uniting East and West would require much more state intervention. The post-Berlin Wall German model draws heavily on values-based citizen activism, solidarity and codetermination in the econ...
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