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European Book Club: „Liberal Responses to Populism“ by Karen Horn & Stefan Kolev
Liberal Responses to Populism
Date: Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Time: 18:00 – 19:30
Location: Zentrum Liberale Moderne, Reinhardtstraße 15, 10117 Berlin
Liberal democracy is under pressure. Across the Western world, populist movements have surged – fuelled by disillusionment, nativism, and a growing distrust in liberal institutions and the liberal elite. How did we arrive at this point, and what can be done to restore confidence in liberal ideals and their promise for a better world of tomorrow?
The new volume Liberal Response to Populism (De Gruyter 2025), edited by Karen Horn, Stefan Kolev, and Julian F. Müller, offers a multifaceted examination of this challenge. From the psychology of radicalization to the lure of sovereignty and from historical reflections to forward-looking policy innovations, the book explores how liberalism can meet the populist moment with clarity, creativity, and renewed conviction.
We invite you to join us for an evening of reflection and discussion with contributors to this thought-provoking collection.
Speakers
Karen Horn
Karen Horn is a honorary professor of economics at the University of Erfurt (Germany), where she teaches the history of economic thought and economic journalism. She is particularly interested in the work of Adam Smith, Friedrich A. Hayek, Walter Eucken, and James M. Buchanan, and in the tradition of liberalism generally, with a special focus on ordoliberalism. At the Verein für Socialpolitik, the association of German-speaking economists, she is a member of the committee for the history of economic thought. She serves as an editor of Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, one of the two academic journals of the Verein, and is the co-chair of the NOUS network. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Lausanne (Switzerland).
Stefan Kolev
Stefan Kolev is the academic director of the Ludwig Erhard Forum for Economy and Society in Berlin and a professor of political economy at the University of Applied Sciences Zwickau (Germany). His research centers on the history of economic thought, especially ordoliberalism and Austrian economics, constitutional economics, and the future of the Social Market Economy. He is a co-editor of the ORDO Yearbook for the Order of Economy and Society and of the Journal of Contextual Economics – Schmollers Jahrbuch. He spent his last sabbatical at the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University (USA). He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Hamburg (Germany).
Aris Trantidis
Lecturer in International Relations and Politics, University of Lincoln. His research stands at the intersection of politics and political economy, with publications on clientelism, dominant party systems and semi-authoritarian regimes. He has published on the concept of democracy and hegemony and has written extensively on the Greek crisis.
Karolina Wigura (Moderation)
Karolina Wigura is senior Fellow at the Center for Liberal Modernity. She is Associate Professor at Warsaw University and a Member of the Board at Kultura Liberalna Foundation. Wigura was awarded fellowships at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin and the Robert Bosch Academy. From 2016 to 2018, she was a Co-Director of the Polish Program „Knowledge Bridges“ at St Antony’s College at the University of Oxford. Together with Jarosław Kuisz, she recently published Post-Traumatic Sovereignty. An Essay (Suhrkamp 2023). She is a regular contributor to The New York Times and The Guardian.
This exclusive event will bring together a select group of experts for a stimulating dialogue. We look forward to your active participation!
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to reach out to Christina Russmann (christina.russmann@libmod.de) or Alexander Schwitteck (alexander.schwitteck@libmod.de). They will be happy to assist you with any inquiries.
Best regards,
Ralf Fücks, Karolina Wigura and Jarosław Kuisz