From Zoran Mamdani to Jacques Polanski, the new generation of left-wing politicians are abandoning the old ideological battles and looking for something much more practical.
The left changes face again. And this time he's not just talking about wealth redistribution, climate change or employee participation in business management.
He talks about the rent that is suffocating them, the bills that keep growing, the jobs threatened by artificial intelligence, writes The Economist.
In an extensive analysis, the publication describes the emergence of a new political current, which it calls “Generation Z socialism”. A movement that draws its strength from dissatisfaction with the rising cost of living and the feeling that governments are more interested in international crises and geopolitical issues than the problems of citizens at home, Naftemporiki points out.
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From the climate to the cost of living
The Economist reminds us that every era gives birth to its own version of socialism. After World War II, European social democracy relied on strong trade unions and the industrial working class, seeking to regulate capitalism through state intervention and income redistribution.
After the 2008 financial crisis, “millennial socialism” emerged, promoting cooperative models, employee board participation and green investment.
Today, however, the new generation of left-wing politicians has different priorities. The slogan is no longer the green transition, but a relaxation of the family budget. And that makes it more attractive.
The new protagonists
In the US, New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani is perhaps the most prominent example.
It backs rent freezes, the creation of low-price grocery stores and free childcare for children under the age of five.
In Canada, Avy Lewis, the new leader of the NDP, is proposing state-run grocery chains across the country. In Britain, Jacques Polanski and the Greens are calling for rent control and free transport for young people.
In Germany, the left is recording the highest percentages in recent years, while in France Jean-Luc Mélenchon is considering a new candidacy for the presidency.
According to The Economist, a common denominator of all these movements is the promise that the state can reduce the cost of living.
Economy looks good, citizens feel bad
The success of this new trend is not directly explained by official economic data, notes The Economist.
In most developed economies, unemployment is near historic lows, real incomes have recovered, and stock markets are hitting new highs.
However, an unprecedented gap has been created between the economy recorded in the indicators and the economy perceived by citizens. High rents, expensive services, housing costs and uncertainty about the future create a climate of pessimism that fuels new political searches.
Fear of artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence also plays a decisive role.
The New Left argues that artificial intelligence risks concentrating even more power and wealth in the hands of a few tech giants, while threatening millions of jobs.
Polls cited by The Economist show that more than six in ten citizens in the US, UK and Canada are worried about the spread of artificial intelligence, while a majority of young Americans believe that this technology could limit their career prospects.
That's why many new left politicians are calling for worker protections, restrictions on data center development, and job guarantees for those affected by artificial intelligence.
Less ideology, more pocket
References to issues such as diversity, inclusion or “structural racism” were significantly reduced. Even climate change has taken a back seat.
Instead, the message is starkly simple: lower rents, cheaper transport, free childcare, job protection and taxation of the super-rich.
Why young people resonate
The British magazine seems particularly wary of these proposals.
She argues that rent control typically discourages investment in housing and ultimately limits supply, leading to even higher prices. At the same time, he warns that excessive taxation of the very rich is not enough to fund such lavish programs and may lead to capital flight.
Still, the publication acknowledges that the appeal of “Gen Z socialism” is likely to continue to grow as its ideas are no longer limited to the traditional left.
Many of his proposals are already beginning to be adopted, in various forms, by centrist and conservative politicians looking for answers to the rising cost of living and disruption caused by artificial intelligence.
