Daron Acemoğlu, the Nobel-winning economist, argues in his new book that liberal democracy is in crisis because progressive elites have abandoned the working class, prioritising identity politics over economic concerns. The Guardian review situates his argument alongside similar diagnoses from figures such as French sociologist Didier Eribon and Bernie Sanders, though it notes Acemoğlu leans more heavily on culture-war rhetoric than they do, even as he criticises such rhetoric elsewhere.

Acemoğlu proposes a new "working-class liberal democracy" contract focused on raising living standards for the least skilled, through measures such as cutting red tape around trades like hairdressing, promoting community decision-making modelled on Ireland's citizens' assemblies, holding social media firms responsible as publishers for content they promote, and introducing "worker AI" tools to boost productivity, for instance letting nurses make more medical decisions. The review praises Acemoğlu's writing and analysis, particularly his explanation of how the US tax code incentivises automation and job losses, and his account of Nordic prosperity as the product of deliberate 1930s reforms rather than innate cultural traits, while noting he is honest about tensions within liberalism that lack easy answers.