Daron Acemoglu Publishes New Book on the Future of Liberal Democracy
Daron Acemoglu, Foreign Member of LASA, has published a new book examining the historical development, present challenges and possible future direction of liberal democracy.
Published by Dutton on 11 August 2026, What Happened to Liberal Democracy? Remaking a Politics of Shared Prosperity brings together economic, historical, political and philosophical perspectives to explore the development of liberal democratic institutions over the past century.
In the book, Professor Acemoglu considers why liberal democracy generated substantial political, economic and social progress during parts of the twentieth century, while facing growing institutional and public challenges in more recent decades.
The analysis focuses particularly on the relationship between democratic governance and shared prosperity. It examines how economic inequality, post-industrial transformation, automation, artificial intelligence, social media and changing concentrations of political and economic power have affected democratic institutions and public confidence.
Professor Acemoglu argues that the future of liberal democracy depends in part on whether technological and economic development can once again be directed towards broadly shared benefits. The book advances the idea of a renewed, working-class liberalism centred on shared prosperity, stronger communities, political participation and respect for a plurality of social values.
The publication has prompted international discussion across economics, political science, technology studies and public policy. It follows Professor Acemoglu’s longstanding research into the relationship between institutions, technological change, economic development and prosperity.
Daron Acemoglu is Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a 2024 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, recognised together with Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson for research on how institutions are formed and how they affect prosperity.
He is a Foreign Member of the Luxembourg Academy of Sciences and Arts (LASA).
LASA highlights the publication as a professional update concerning one of its members. The interpretations and conclusions presented in the book remain those of the author.