causal

Liberalism before democracy is easier than the reverse

In Western Europe and Britain, liberal ideas developed before the franchise became a mass franchise, making it easier to embed tolerance, separation of powers, and rule of law; in the Eastern Mediterranean and places like Turkey, nationalist mass mobilization and mass-franchise regimes came first, so trying to build liberalism afterward is much harder, though not impossible.

causalpending

Speaker

Dani Rodrik

Evidence Quote

It's harder to bring those ideas of tolerance, the separation of powers, the rule of law and so forth relatively later in the game.

Source

Dani RodrikConversations with Tyler
Created: 6/13/2026, 3:23:41 AM

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