The People Vs. Democracy

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Trust in politics is dwindling. Citizens are falling out of love with democracy, and populism is on the rise. But what do we do about it?

Conventional wisdom has long held that liberal democracies like France or the UK will forever remain stable because they have achieved three things: free and fair elections; a high level of wealth and education; and a vibrant civil society with neutral institutions. But this is no longer true.

Prominent academic Yascha Mounk shows why the public’s belief in democracy is wilting away in Western Europe, the U.S. and beyond, and why the two core components of liberal democracy ― individual rights and the popular will ― are increasingly at war with each other.

Mounk identifies three key drivers of voters’ discontent: stagnating living standards, fears of multiethnic democracy, and the rise of social media. To reverse the march against liberal democracy, he argues that politicians must act now to create radical reforms in these three areas that benefit the many, not just the few.

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