Does social democracy have a future?

This will be the topic of a free public symposium presented by La Trobe’s Ideas & Society Program in association with the Innovative Universities European Union Centre.

Wolfgang Merkel, Professor of Political Science at Humboldt University Berlin, will be the keynote speaker and will draw on his extensive research and practical involvement with social democratic parties in Europe and Latin America to show how the survival of social democracy in the future depends on finding new voters and party members as well as inventing new policies and different visions of a better future.

Joining Professor Merkel will be Professor Geoff Gallop, former Premier, Western Australia and Director of the Graduate School of Government, University of Sydney; Robert Manne, Professor of Politics and Convenor of La Trobe’s Ideas & Society Program, Marilyn Lake, Professor of History at La Trobe University; and Symposium Chair, Dr Stefan Auer, Jean Monnet Chair in EU Interdisciplinary Studies at La Trobe University.

Date and time: Tuesday, 7 December, from 6pm-7.30pm

Venue: The Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne