Democracy and the rule of law | Centre for European Reform

Democracy and the rule of law are often, wrongly, treated as synonymous. There are increasing tensions in Europe between what governments think their voters want them to do, and what the courts and EU institutions allow them to do. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is right to say that threats to the rule of law challenge the functioning of the EU. Key EU policy areas such as the single market and law enforcement co-operation depend on respect for the rule of law throughout the Union.

Political Economy Books of 2019

Asher Schechter of the Pro-Market blog of the Stigler Center at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business suggests they are the best!

Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy by Matt Stoller

Capitalism, Alone by Branko Milanovic

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff

The Great Reversal: How America Gave Up on Free Markets by Thomas Philippon

The Triumph of Injustice: How the Rich Dodge Taxes and How to Make Them Pay by Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman

The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality by Katharina Pistor

Don’t Be Evil: The Case Against Big Tech by Rana Foroohar

Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America by Christopher Leonard

Liberalism at Large: The World According to the Economist by Alexander Zevin

The Great Democracy: How to Fix Our Politics, Unrig the Economy, and Unite America by Ganesh Sitaraman

DECEMBER DEBATES ON GIFTS: SOME CLASSICAL WARNINGS | SENTENTIAE ANTIQUAE

Epigonoi Fr. 4 (From Clement of Alexandria) 
 “Many evils come to men from gifts” 
 ἐκ γὰρ δώρων πολλὰ κάκ’ ἀνθρώποισι πέλονται.

plus more!

Combating Inequality: Rethinking Policies to Reduce Inequality

EVENT SUMMARY READ A SUMMARY AND REFLECTIONS OF THE CONFERENCE BY ITS ORGANIZERS, OLIVIER BLANCHARD AND DANI RODRIK.

Plato and Diogenes warn us about hubris

Summary: Here is a fun short story, historical fiction about one of the clashes between two of the larger-than-life people of the ancient world. It provides an important warning in our era of giant social engineering experiments. Unlike classical Athens, today we have people who want to impose their philosophical theories on the rest of us. We need a Diogenes to pop their bubbles.

Moral grandstanding ... | Vox

the philosophers Brandon Warmke and Justin Tosi. They basically laid out the case that moral grandstanding is the use of moral talk to seek status or to promote oneself. It’s the use of important conversation — moral topics, or politics — with more of an end of boosting your own brand than it is advancing a dialogue.

Cited: Moral grandstanding: there’s a lot of it about, all of it bad

Moral grandstanding in public discourse: Status-seeking motives ...

The anatomy of illiberal states | Brookings

This Brookings report examines the emergence and diffusion of the illiberal toolkit from Turkey to Central Europe.

Also The Democracy Playbook: Preventing and Reversing Democratic Backsliding