Basics on Social Democracy “The role of the(US) state can be classified as liberal. This also refers to the relationship between state and market economy.” positive civil rights or liberties are not mentioned in the Constitution nor has the USA signed any international agreement which stipulates such rights, including the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The existing, though not very comprehensive and scarcely redistributive, welfare state is not anchored in the American Constitution. However, the administration under current president, Barack Obama, is oriented towards the improvement of this social system. The role of the state can be classified as liberal. This also refers to the relationship between state and market economy. Enterprises are in free competition with one another and there is little cooperation or coordination with the government or the social partners. Trade Unions have no influence on wage negotiations or the determination of working processes. The financial system is structured in a way that short­term corporate profits have the highest value. Great Britain The first fundamental rights were declared comparatively early in Great Britain(1215, 1628) and both UN covenants have been signed and ratified in 1976. However, in practice they are often ineffective. Unlike most countries, Britain does not have a written constitution, but a de facto constitution is embodied within numerous court judgments and treaties. The market economy is similar to the USA. The keenly competitive market mainly concentrates on short-term profit maximization, while employment protection and employees' influence via trade unions is only weakly developed. Though stronger than the American counterpart, the British welfare state has slowly developed. With the election of Tony Blair and the Labour Party in 1997, Great Britain resumed its development towards social democracy. Labour led to an expansion of social services and targeted anti­poverty measures. They introduced, for example, a minimum wage. A centralized structure of the state and a sovereign parliament make fundamental reforms relatively easy. Germany The German re-democratization process after the end of World War II(1945) was specifically oriented towards a stable state in order to prevent a future failure of democracy. For this purpose, a high degree of separation and limitation of powers was put in place. Besides this protection of democracy against abuse of power, the democratic fundamental human and civil rights and liberties have been anchored in the Basic Law(Grundgesetz). It protects the individual against the encroachment of the state(negative freedom), but also ensures the citizens' right to participate in society(positive freedom). Social entitlements, as for example a minimum income, are not included in the Basic Law, although the Constitutions of some federal states cite them. Compared by international standards, the traditional German welfare 26