This week on the Stay Tuned with Preet podcast, Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu joins Preet to discuss his latest book, What Happened to Liberal Democracy? Remaking a Politics of Shared Prosperity. Acemoglu explains why he thinks American politics is in crisis and why a return to the foundational principles of liberalism—with shared prosperity at the forefront—is the best solution. They also discuss the Democratic socialist movement, the reasons for its rise, and whether “socialism” is even the right term to describe it. Then, Preet and Acemoglu turn to AI and its potential to become a pro-worker tool.
After the interview, Preet answers listener questions about FEMA emergency funding and whether the attorney general should be an elected position.
In the bonus for Insiders, Acemoglu defines some of the key terms from his book and explains how concepts like liberalism can have different meanings.
Join the Insider community for access to bonus content from Stay Tuned and weekly episodes of the Insider podcast hosted by Preet and Joyce Vance. Visit staytuned.substack.com to sign up. Thank you for supporting our work.
Cover image photo credit: Costas Baltas/Anadolu via Getty Images
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REFERENCES & SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:
- Daron Acemoglu, MIT Economics
- Daron Acemoglu, “What Happened to Liberal Democracy? Remaking a Politics of Shared Prosperity,” Dutton, 8/11/26
- “What Happened to Liberal Democracy? by Daron Acemoglu review – how to fix the system,” The Guardian, 8/7/26
- “Five Questions with Nobel Prize Winner Daron Acemoglu,” Civil Discourse Substack, 7/31/26
