Can Liberal Democracy Survive the Second "Great Transformation"? | Harvard Griffin GSAS Alumni Day

This talk took place on April 18, 2026, at Harvard Griffin GSAS Alumni Day. The Industrial Revolution ushered in the first wave of globalization and the spread of democracy, while undermining social and political institutions that had endured for centuries. Are we now facing a second “great transformation” that is eroding political institutions, liberal norms, and the global liberal order? If so, how must democratic institutions be reformed to withstand democratic backsliding, the rise of authoritarian rule, and the disruptive impact of this new “great transformation”? Speaker: Grzegorz Ekiert, PhD ’91, Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government at Harvard University and senior scholar at the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies