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The People vs. Democracy
- Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
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The People vs. Democracy
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Summary
The world is in turmoil. From India to Turkey and from Poland to the United States, authoritarian populists have seized power. As a result, Yascha Mounk shows, democracy itself may now be at risk.
Two core components of liberal democracy - individual rights and the popular will - are increasingly at war with each other. As the role of money in politics soared and important issues were taken out of public contestation, a system of “rights without democracy” took hold. Populists who rail against this say they want to return power to the people. But in practice they create something just as bad: a system of “democracy without rights.”
The consequence, Mounk shows in The People vs. Democracy, is that trust in politics is dwindling. Citizens are falling out of love with their political system. Democracy is wilting away. Drawing on vivid stories and original research, Mounk identifies three key drivers of voters’ discontent: stagnating living standards, fears of multiethnic democracy, and the rise of social media. To reverse the trend, politicians need to enact radical reforms that benefit the many, not the few.
The People vs. Democracy is the first book to go beyond a mere description of the rise of populism. In plain language, it describes both how we got here and where we need to go. For those unwilling to give up on either individual rights or the popular will, Mounk shows, there is little time to waste: this may be our last chance to save democracy.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Pow
- 08-03-20
Good. but basically no references to Asia.
Good. but basically all references are related to the Western world and very little on Asia.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Thirsty hippo
- 22-06-20
A book for our times
This book explains... how we got here and into the mess we are in from Trump to Brexit and beyond. From policy to the causes of voter dissatisfaction, it is not merely a critique but offers solutions too.The book was written in pre pandemic era so it is interesting to note Populist leaders have another thing in common, a catastrophic handling of the current pandemic crisis. Who you vote for matters and this book argues that the future of liberal democracy itself is now at risk and from a historical perspective it is something no-one should be complacent about. The book is a timely warning.
Well argued, clear, good narration and overall thought provoking.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Paul
- 23-01-21
Very relevant, interesting take
This book writes about a much pondered topic. It is very much informed by political science thinking above all else but is easy to understand if that is not your speciality. It focuses on the why liberal democracy is under threat from populism. My belief is that this is so, however if you believe liberal democracy has become very inconsistent in it's application, you may feel the book is a bit thin on how this has lead to disillusionment and thus a rise in populism. Nevertheless it had my full attention for the whole 8 hours and offered a great perspective.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Lawrence McKay
- 12-07-18
Well-argued, readable book with some overclaiming
A topical and well-researched book with a strong central thesis and stirring defence of liberal democracy. I thought he brought a lot of impressive data to the table, although readers should note that some of the core findings, especially re: millennials turning away from democracy, have been questioned. I liked that it discussed populism/authoritarianism as a global phenomenon and looked at a variety of countries such as South Korea and Poland. But there were some sections that were a touch weak, to my mind. Mounk goes against almost the entirety of the literature on Trump's election to date to argue the fault is equally shared between 'nativism' and economic factors - but brings very little in the way of compelling evidence in support of this. Overall, the book is well-worth reading - even if it sometimes over-states its case. It's contributing to some important conversations. But I would suggest reading some of the criticism of the book and also listening to the Ezra Klein podcasts where he grills Mounk about some of the arguments.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Tom S
- 22-05-22
Necessary, not comforting
This book questions how resistant democracy is to populist attack. It’s not a feel good book, but an important discourse.
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