Liberté des marchés et démocratie : pourquoi les peuples ne croient plus aux promesses libérales. Introduction

In this issue of The Tocqueville Review, economists, sociologists and political theorists examine the reasons why liberal democracy and liberalism more broadly are now the subjects of widespread criticism all over the Western world. The alliance of democracy, free-market economics and social justice as outlined in John Rawls's A Theory of Justice (1971) seemed a real possibility after the fall of communism in 1989. However, it is now widely seen as a distant dream as democratic states seem powerless and shackled by economic imperatives and globalisation has become a source of misery for the majority of workers. Bringing nuanced analysis and expertise to address the problem, the authors suggest that changes are possible if governments exercise their regulatory powers more effectively and in a more democratic manner.