Liberal Democracy
Topic
This open book aims to show which factors have been decisive in the rise of successful countries.
Never before have so many people been so well off. However, prosperity is not a law of nature; it has to be worked for.
A liberal economy stands at the forefront of this success – not as a political system, but as a set of economic rules promoting competition, which in turn leads to innovation, research and enormous productivity.
Sustainable prosperity is built on a foundation of freedom, equal opportunity and a functioning government. This requires a stable democracy that cannot be defeated by an autocrat. Autocrats claim that illiberalism is more efficient, an assertion that justifies their own power. Although autocrats can efficiently guide the first steps out of poverty, once a certain level of prosperity has been achieved, people begin to demand a sense of well-being – freedom and codetermination. Only when this is possible will they feel comfortable, and progress will continue. Respect for human rights is crucial.
The rules of the free market do not lean to either the right or left politically. Liberalism and the welfare state are not mutually exclusive. The “conflict” concerns the amount of government intervention. Should there be more or less?
As a lawyer, entrepreneur, and board member with over 40 years of experience in this field of conflict, the author clearly describes the conditions necessary for a country to maintain its position at the top.
Liberalism has been successful in many countries and has contributed significantly to the well-being of numerous people. For the first time in time in the several thousand-year-old history of mankind, many are living in freedom because of liberalism. [...] However, the system is only equitable when capital and labor are well balanced.
From Liberalism of Liberal Democracy
Although the book presents liberalism as a model for success, I felt it was not so much explaining a theory as it was presenting the results of life-long business experience. This book was not written by a theorist but by someone who experienced firsthand how this model leads to success.
Thoughts from a reader, A.L.