Can ‘working-class liberalism’ heal liberal democracy?   

Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Location: The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

Political systems are in crisis across Europe, the United States, and other countries. In his new book “What Happened to Liberal Democracy?,” Nobel economics laureate and MIT professor Daron Acemoglu examines the political, economic, and technological causes for the crisis in liberal democracy, including rising inequality and new social divisions in post-industrial societies. As a path forward, he proposes a “working-class liberalism” which prioritizes shared prosperity, empowers communities, and accommodates experimentation and ideological diversity. 

On October 13, the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings will welcome Acemoglu for a lecture on his arguments about liberalism and democracy and a conversation with Brookings experts Aslı Aydıntaşbaş and Constanze Stelzenmüller.