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What Happened to Liberal Democracy?

Remaking a Politics of Shared Prosperity - FROM THE WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN ECONOMICS
Brief Description
Shared prosperity, equality, democratic values and the free pursuit of knowledge. Liberalism promised much, and even delivered on some of those promises. But now the remaining relics of establishment liberalism are being eroded by elitism, intolerance and rising autocracy. What went wrong? And what comes next?... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3999
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A new theory of liberalism for a post-industrial world, from nobel prize winning author of Why Nations Fail

A new theory of liberal democracy from the Nobel Prize-winning author of Why Nations Fail

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Shared prosperity, equality, democratic values and the free pursuit of knowledge. Liberalism promised much, and even delivered on some of those promises. But now the remaining relics of establishment liberalism are being eroded by elitism, intolerance and rising autocracy. What went wrong? And what comes next?

Liberalism flourished as the underdog in a sea of competing political ideologies. But once it became the dominant ideology, it faltered. It failed to adapt in a postindustrialist world. And the very systems designed to deliver prosperity began to undermine it.

Nobel prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu offers a new theory of liberalism, one that lays the groundwork for how we can - and must - rehabilitate liberal ideas and practices, now more than ever. In What Happened to Liberal Democracy?, Acemoglu explores the path forward for revitalising these crucial tenets of modern society.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781805228677

Publisher: Profile Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 August 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Profile Books Ltd

Edition: Export/Airside

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 0g

Pages: 416

About the Author

DARON ACEMOGLU is Institute Professor at MIT, Faculty Co-Director of MIT's Shaping the Future of Work Initiative, and Research Affiliate at MIT's Blueprint Labs. He has been awarded the John Bates Clark Medal, the BBVA Frontiers Award, the Global Economy Prize and the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2024.

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