Anti-pluralism : the populist threat to liberal democracy / William A. Galston ; foreword by James Davison Hunter and John M. Owen IV.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Challenges to liberal democracy -- Democratic erosion and political convergence -- Liberal democracy in theory -- The populist challenge -- The European project and its enemies (with Clara J. Hendrickson) -- Is democracy at risk in the United States? -- Liberal democracy in America : what is to be done? -- Democratic leadership -- The incompleteness of liberal de mocracy.

The Great Recession, institutional dysfunction, a growing divide between urban and rural prospects, and failed efforts to effectively address immigration have paved the way for a populist backlash that disrupts the postwar bargain between political elites and citizens. Whether today's populism represents a corrective to unfair and obsolete policies or a threat to liberal democracy itself remains up for debate. Yet this much is clear: these challenges indict the triumphalism that accompanied liberal democratic consolidation after the collapse of the Soviet Union. To respond to today's crisis, good leaders must strive for inclusive economic growth while addressing fraught social and cultural issues, including demographic anxiety, with frank attention. Although reforms may stem the populist tide, liberal democratic life will always leave some citizens unsatisfied. This is a permanent source of vulnerability, but liberal democracy will endure so long as citizens believe it is worth fighting for.