These are tough days for those of us who call ourselves progressives and identify with the Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez branch of the Democratic Party. It is hard not to feel depressed and frustrated.
Trump and the Republicans are methodically destroying everything we hold dear: environmental protection, racial equality, women’s rights, corporate regulation, voting rights, economic justice, separation of church and state, the social safety net, and on and on.
But in the midst of this political carnage, there is a reason for progressives to feel hopeful, maybe even happy at times. It is this: progressivism is actually alive and well in most other advanced Western nations. Countries including Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, and the Nordic states have passed or are passing policies that promote progressive values and policy agendas. Already they have universal health care, free or low-cost college, well-funded retirement programs, low-cost day care and generous child leave policies, extensive public transportation systems, no capital punishment, sustainable energy programs, effective anti-poverty programs, and so on.
And they are continuing to experiment with new progressive approaches to important societal problems. Consider, for example, the pressing issue of wealth inequality. In the U.S., the richest 10% own a whopping 75% of the wealth and the bottom 90% own only 21%. And while Trump keeps telling us the record highs in the stock market mean we are all better off, it is the top 10% of rich households who own 90% of stocks.
Most other advanced Western democracies already pursue policies that reduce this wealth gap, sometimes by a lot. In Finland, Australia, Belgium, and France, for instance, the richest 10% own only about 47% of the wealth and the bottom 90% own over 50% of it.
These countries reduce wealth inequality by pursuing a variety of progressive policies. A key one is strong government support for unionization. Germany, for example, has laws that make it illegal for businesses to discourage workers from joining a union, and it requires companies with over 2,000 workers to allow employees to elect representatives to fill 50% of the seats on the companies’ boards of directors.
Studies show that higher rates of unionization are directly related to lower rates of wealth and income equality. Union members, for example, are more able to buy homes, a main source of intergenerational wealth. Most other advanced democracies have much higher rates of unionization than we do: Germany’s rate is 17%, Canada’s 27%, and Sweden’s 66% — compared to less than 10% in the U.S.
Furthermore, many countries are continuously seeking other ways to further reduce their wealth gap. For example, Scotland just passed a pathbreaking law called “The Community Wealth Building Bill.” It will help to keep money and economic power within local communities rather than having it transferred to distant corporations. Local governments must now prioritize local businesses, especially employee-owned and cooperative businesses, in their spending and investments. For example, a local National Health Service institution could change its catering contract to get food from local farmers and cooperatives instead of large, international suppliers.
Significantly, the policies for stronger unionization and the keeping of wealth in local communities both embody a progressive understanding of the primary cause of the wealth gap: unregulated corporate capitalism. Corporations inherently exploit workers who are powerless and unorganized, and they redistribute profits and wealth upward to rich and distant owners who could care less about these communities or their workers.
So progressive values and policies are actually winning in many other countries. For that reason, when progressives here are feeling dejected, they should look at the broader picture — the rest of the developed world. Progressivism may still be only a dream in America, but it is a reality in many other countries — and hundreds of millions of people are better off for that. In these dark days, we should remember to feel good about that.
Douglas J. Amy is a professor emeritus of politics at Mount Holyoke College. He lives in Northampton.