What Happened to Liberal Democracy?

The Institute for Government is pleased to welcome Daron Acemoglu, the Nobel Prize-winning co-author of Why Nations Fail, to discuss his new book: What Happened to Liberal Democracy? Remaking a Politics of Shared Prosperity.

In his latest book, Daron Acemoglu, a Nobel Prize winner in economics, documents the rise and, some would argue, fall of liberal democracy. recounting how liberal democratic institutions plunged themselves into crisis over the last several decades.

Looking at rapid advances in technology, shifts in regulatory environments, global political history, and economics, Acemoglu lays out the challenges to these institutions and sets out a new way forward, which he calls working-class liberalism: a philosophy that prioritizes shared prosperity, empowers communities, and accommodates a range of views – essential if liberal democracy is to survive in the 21st century.

Daron Acemoglu will be in conversation with Dr Hannah White, CEO of the Institute for Government, before taking part in an audience Q&A, followed by a book signing.

Daron Acemoglu is a professor at MIT and Faculty Co-Director of MIT’s Shaping the Future of Work Initiative in Boston. Why Nations Fail (2012) has sold over one million copies globally.