Introduction: Mapping Economic Liberalization Discourse in Western Europe

Abstract

The first chapter outlines the task of the study, which is a mapping of the different discourses inherent in six major European democracies. To this aim, it introduces the theoretical model that will guide the following elaborations on the unity in substance and the differences in structure of public discourses. Sketched in very bold strokes, it is argued that the similarities between discourses are to be traced in the common thread provided by globalization and post-industrialization, whereas the differences can be explained by virtue of the distinct institutional arrangements that the countries in question have developed over time.