External publications

Can capitalism save democracy?

Sinanoglu, Semuhi / Lucan A. Way / Steven Levitsky
External Publications (36/3)

in: Journal of Democracy (36/3), 5-15, Print

DOI: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2025.a964562
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While capitalism today is widely seen as a threat to democracy, the free market plays a central role in fostering pluralism. A strong and autonomous private sector is critical to the creation of a robust opposition and an independent civil society that are central to democratic resilience. At the same time, even rich and powerful private sectors in high-income countries may be vulnerable to government pressure with regulatory coercion — a fact that makes these countries potentially susceptible to democratic backsliding. Indeed, state capture of business — to a greater degree than business capture of the state — represents the most direct threat to democratic survival.

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