Why the Notion of Social Justice is Quasi-Absent from the Public Discourse in Post-Communist Lithuania

Abstract

This article discusses the paradoxical absence of social justice (both as a feature of political discourse and in terms of policy-making) in post-communist Lithuania. It addresses the question of how the politically successful Social Democratic Party has been able to function without proclaiming social democratic values and implementing social democratic policies. Here it would appear that supply of and demand for social justice is reduced by the relatively low levels of personal income in the country as well as the growing standard of living. The present social security system seems to satisfy those who mostly depend on it, whilst also accommodating the needs of those who enjoy higher levels of economic welfare. Most characteristic of the contemporary Lithuanian public arena is a conservative discourse emphasizing moral themes, improvement of society, general interest, citizenship, and justice. It is reinforced by nationalist values, which place the accent on the nation and the state. Social democratic discourse is relatively unpopular. Firstly, the recent liberation from a communist regime allegedly founded on a radical version of social democratic values means that this type of discourse might become a source of stigma. Secondly, the multiple reforms that are necessary in the political, economic, social and cultural domains make the social democratic (egalitarian, distributive) discourse blatantly unworkable. Instead, the post-communist Lithuanian Social Democrats prefer to use liberal and economist language, as if they had learned the historical lesson about the limits of the state and the evils of paternalistic engagements. The only semantic field where social democratic notions find some substantial place in Lithuania is academic discourse.