Es ist zweifelslos angemessen, von einer Krise sozialdemokratischer Parteien zu sprechen. Dominierten sozialdemokratische Parteien in den 1990er Jahren noch die Politik in vielen Ländern, so haben sie in den letzten Jahren in Westeuropa massive Einbußen bei ihren Stimmanteilen erlebt. Beispiele für diese Krise findet man schnell. In den letzten Jahren haben sozialdemokratische Parteien in Ländern wie Frankreich, den Niederlanden, Österreich oder Schweden historisch schlechte Wahlergebnisse eingefahren.
The responsiveness of governments to the preferences of their citizens is a fundamental characteristic of democracy. With the rapid and seemingly unstoppable integration of the European Union, many citizens doubt whether their governments still can be responsive—while trust in the EU has been faltering at the same time. In 2015, only 33 % of Europeans trusted the EU, while over 54 % of Europeans distrusted it. In 2008, fully 62 % of Europeans did not believe that their governments listened to them when it came to European issues, and those who perceive themselves to be voiceless on that matter have remained the majority as of 2017. Europeans believe that governments do not act in their citizens’ interest when they decide (usually behind closed doors) over policies in the EU. Despite these bleak numbers, this contribution argues that there are reasons to be both more optimistic and pessimistic at the same time.