Goethe Institut, Belgrade – June 26, 2015
Capitalism and Democracy – Debating various dimensions and variations of an uneasy Marriage
As Wolfgang Merkel argues democracy and capitalism are two highly contested models following different logics: “Unequally distributed property rights on the one hand, equal civic and political rights on the other; profit-oriented trade within capitalism in contrast to the search for the common good within democracy; debate, compromise and majority decision-making within democratic politics versus hierarchical decision-making by managers and capital owners.” (Merkel 2014)
Recently, a debate about the compatibility of capitalism and democracy and respective tensions as well as a flourishing marriage between global capitalism and authoritarianism is on rise. Wolfgang Merkel is taking part in the debate and co-shaping it, while CAS SEE and its Fellows are engaged in thinking about various aspects of the relationship between capitalism and democracy. The Seminar represented an intensive interdisciplinary exchange about various dimensions and variations of the above-described uneasy marriage.
