Contemporary democracies are undergoing a period of unprecedented tension: authoritarian pressures, digital disintermediation, a crisis of representation, and an erosion of trust in institutions and the liberal international order. This is not merely an unfavorable economic climate, but a structural transformation that is undermining the very foundations of democratic governance.

This volume, born out of the 2025 Venice Seminars and bearing a title that explicitly evokes a book by Michael Sandel from thirty years ago, tackles a crucial question with interdisciplinary rigor: can the malaise of democracy be understood, and overcome, within the liberal paradigm, or does it require a radical rethinking?

The collected contributions examine the resources of political liberalism, exploring the possibility of a renewal capable of rebuilding civic bonds and spaces for participation, and engage with post-liberal voices that challenge the very premises of the liberal tradition, proposing alternatives grounded in richer conceptions of community, ethics, and political order. This book captures the complexity of a theoretical debate that remains open. An essential contribution to thinking about the future of democracy.

Download your copy of the e-book HERE.

Democracy’s Discontent

Debating the Crisis of Liberalism

ResetDOC Venice Seminars 2025

Edited by Fulvia Giachetti

Contributions by Daniele Archibugi, Marina Calloni, Alessandro Ferrara,Claus Leggewie, Mauro Magatti, John Milbank, Adarian Pabst

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction – Fulvia Giachetti

Part I – Inside the Crisis of Liberal Order

The Democracy Levers. Internal and External Connections – Daniele Archibugi

The Twilight of Liquid Modernity. Digital Rationaliztion and Technopopulism – Mauro Magatti

The Rise of the Sophocrats. Political, Economic, and Epistemic Power in Algorithmic Governance – Marina Calloni

Part II – Resources for Renewal

The “Liberal Script”, Democracy’s Discontent, and Political Liberalism – Alessandro Ferrara

Will the Center Hold? In Search of a Renewed Democratic Middle Ground – Claus Leggewie

Part III – A Different Diagnosis 

Democracy, Capitalism and the Ethical. A Post-Liberal Democratic Manifesto – John Milbank

The Realist Turn. Freedom, Democracy, and the International Order After Liberalism – Adrian Pabst