January 30th – February 1st, 2025 | John Cabot University, Rome
Location for Thursday, Jan 30 session: Lungo Tevere Sanzio Raffaello, 11, 00153, Rome
Location for Friday, Jan 31 & Saturday, Feb 1 sessions: Aula Magna, Via della Lungara, 233, 00165 Rome
⇒ In person: Register here to attend the event ⇐
⇒ Online: Register here to follow the event on Zoom ⇐
This international conference will address the critical challenges facing liberal democracies. It will explore their failure to respond effectively to the anxieties and needs of citizens grappling with globalization, precarious employment, demographic changes, and social dislocation. These issues, amplified by populist rhetoric and the perceived indifference of liberal elites, have led to growing polarization, weakened societal cohesion, and ideological stagnation in politics.
The event will also examine the broader global context, including the resurgence of nationalist and authoritarian challenges, critiques of meritocracy, and the erosion of communal protective structures. Participants will engage with diverse perspectives, analyzing why liberal democracies struggle to unify citizens around long-term goals and how they can bridge the widening gap between elites and the general populace. Through interdisciplinary dialogue, the conference aims to reassess the cultural and political foundations of liberal democracy and identify new approaches to leadership that address public fears and frustrations while fostering inclusivity, solidarity, and trust.
Agenda*
Thursday, January 30th
6:00 PM – 6:15 PM Welcome Remarks
Franco Pavoncello, President, John Cabot University
Framing the Issue
Giancarlo Bosetti, Executive Chair, Reset DOC
6:15 PM – 7:45 PM
Session 1: Approaching the Issue of Liberal Democracy’s Illness
Sheri Berman, Barnard College (online)
Moreno Bertoldi, Italian Institute for International Political Studies
Lea Ypi, London School of Economics
Chair: Michael Driessen, John Cabot University
Friday, January 31st
9:00 AM – 9:45 AM
Keynote Speech: Are Elites Deaf to Social and Economic Discontent?
Michael Lind, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin
9:45 AM – 10:45 AM
Session 2: The Causes of Malaise between Economics and Politics
Giuliano Amato, former President of the Italian Constitutional Court
Jeffry A. Frieden, Columbia University & Emeritus, Harvard University
Chair: George Hoguet, George and Marie Hoguet Family Fund
10:45 AM – 11:00 AM Coffee Break
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Session 3: Capitalism and Democracy at Risk of Divorce
Wolfgang Streeck, Emeritus, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (online)
Michele Salvati, Emeritus, State University of Milan
Mauro Magatti, Catholic University of Milan
Chair: Federigo Argentieri, John Cabot University
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM Lunch
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Session 4: Walking Back from the Culture Wars: How
James D. Hunter, University of Virginia
Jean Claude Kaufmann, CNRS, France
Adrian Pabst, University of Kent
Olivier Roy, European University Institute
Chair: Marina Calloni, University of Milan-Bicocca
4:00 PM – 4:30 PM Coffee Break
4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Session 5: The Few vs. the Many: Moving Away from the Old Class Struggle
Seyla Benhabib, Yale University (online)
Nadia Urbinati, Columbia University (online)
David Hopkins, Boston College
Chair: Pamela Harris, John Cabot University
Saturday, February 1st
9:15 AM – 11:15 AM
Session 6: Postliberal Criticism to Be Taken Seriously
Seth Jaffe, LUISS Guido Carli
John Milbank, University of Nottingham
Giorgia Serughetti, University of Milan-Bicocca
Jonathan White, London School of Economics
Chair: Tom Bailey, John Cabot University
11:15 AM – 11:30 AM Coffee Break
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Roundtable: The Way Forward – Rescuing Liberalism from Itself
Giuliano Amato, Former President of the Italian Constitutional Court
Craig Calhoun, Arizona State University
Alessandro Ferrara, University of Rome -Tor Vergata
Michael Lind, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin
Ruth Hanau Santini¸ University of Naples -Orientale
Valeria Termini, University of Rome III
Chair: Jonathan Laurence, Reset Dialogues US & Boston College
*Could be subject to modification.
Location for Thursday, Jan 30 session: Lungo Tevere Sanzio Raffaello, 11, 00153, Rome
Location for Friday, Jan 31 & Saturday, Feb 1 sessions: Aula Magna, Via della Lungara, 233, 00165 Rome
⇒ In person: Register here to attend the event ⇐
⇒ Online: Register here to follow the event on Zoom ⇐
Photo by Corbett Campbell on Unsplash