Is Liberal Democracy on Its Last Legs?
If you've been feeling like something is fundamentally off about the state of the world right now, you're not alone. From rising authoritarian movements in Europe to democratic backsliding in the United States, the institutions that generations of Canadians have taken for granted are under pressure like never before.
That's the subject of a striking new conversation on CBC's Front Burner, featuring Daron Acemoglu — MIT economist, co-author of Why Nations Fail, and 2024 Nobel laureate in Economics. Acemoglu has spent decades studying the relationship between political institutions and economic prosperity, and his diagnosis of the current moment is both sobering and urgent.
What's Actually Threatening Democracy?
Acemoglu argues that liberal democracy isn't just about holding elections — it's about checks and balances, the rule of law, and the protection of individual rights. And right now, all three are being eroded in ways that should alarm anyone paying attention.
He points to the concentration of economic and political power in the hands of a small elite as a central driver of democratic decline. When wealth inequality reaches extreme levels, the wealthy gain outsized influence over political systems — undermining the very foundation of one-person, one-vote democracy.
Technology, too, plays a role. Acemoglu has written extensively about how AI and digital platforms can be tools of surveillance and control just as easily as tools of liberation. The question, he says, is who controls these technologies and in whose interest they're deployed.
Can It Be Revived?
The good news — and Acemoglu does offer some — is that democracies have recovered from crises before. He points to historical examples where civil society, grassroots organizing, and institutional reform pulled countries back from the brink.
But revival requires more than nostalgia for the way things were. It demands active participation: in elections, in local politics, in holding media and corporations accountable. Democracies don't maintain themselves on autopilot.
For Canadians, this conversation lands with particular weight. Canada has long positioned itself as a stable democratic model — bilingual, multicultural, peacekeeping. But Canadian democracy isn't immune to the pressures reshaping politics everywhere. Misinformation, polarization, and declining trust in institutions are real challenges here too.
Why This Matters for Canadians
With a federal election recently concluded and a new Parliament taking shape, Canadians are in a moment of democratic reflection. Questions about the health of our institutions — the independence of the judiciary, the role of money in politics, the integrity of public media like the CBC itself — are live debates, not abstract philosophy.
Acemoglu's work is a reminder that democracy requires maintenance. It's not a destination, it's a practice. And the choices made by citizens, politicians, and institutions in the next few years will shape what kind of country Canada is in the decades ahead.
The Front Burner episode with Daron Acemoglu is available now on CBC Radio and wherever you listen to podcasts. It's 30 minutes well spent.
Source: CBC Front Burner — Can liberal democracy be saved?
