​The IEA are delighted to host a virtual debate on the topic of Democracy, to mark the launch of our latest primer, “An Introduction to Democracy” authored by Dr Eamonn Butler, Director of the Adam Smith Institute. With Eamonn joining the event as a guest speaker, he will be debating Garett Jones, Associate Professor of Economics at George Mason University and author of “10% Less Democracy: Why You Should Trust the Elites a Little More”. This event will take place on Tuesday 27th April at 13:00 BST and will be chaired by IEA Director of EPICENTER, Adam Bartha.

Protecting equal democratic rights across all sections of society, irrespective of one’s ethnicity, gender or wealth is a cornerstone of liberal democracies – and still an ongoing battle in most countries across the world. Throughout modern Western history, in various movements from the suffragettes in the UK to the American Civil rights movement, the battle for a freer society was closely interlinked with the ability of democratic participation. Therefore, democratic accountability and individual freedom are concepts which are closely interconnected in most people’s minds.

But is there such a thing as too much democracy? What are the downsides democratising all government institutions, and can they be rectified without endorsing strongmen leaders and letting bureaucracies go wild? What is the history and the future of democratic development across modern societies and how can classical liberals shape the process in the most freedom-friendly way?

Debating this will be two prominent authors from both sides of the Atlantic, discussing the merits and problems of democracies.

This event will be livestreamed on the IEA Youtube Channel – HERE