The former governor of the Bank of England meets the renowned FT commentator for a reckoning on why the relationship between democracy and capitalism is coming undone – and what we can do about it.

We are living in an age when economic failings have shaken faith in global capitalism.

Political failings have undermined trust in liberal democracy and in the very notion of truth.

The ties that ought to bind open markets to free and fair elections are being strained and rejected, even in democracy’s notional heartlands.

Some now argue that capitalism is better without democracy; others that democracy is better without capitalism.

Live on stage in London and via livestream, Martin Wolf – one of the wisest voices on global affairs – will argue that for all its recent failings – slowing growth, increasing inequality, widespread popular disillusion – democratic capitalism, though inherently fragile, remains the best system we know for human flourishing. Most important of all, he will present a programme for renewal, with fresh ideas to rescue our democracy.

Praise for Martin Wolf’s The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism:

Martin Wolf has been an incisive commentator on economics and politics for a long time. This book is an excellent and thought-provoking synthesis of his views on democratic capitalism and how to fix it. — Ben Bernanke

Martin Wolf brings together many decades’ worth of thought and analysis into this superb synthesis. An important guide for anyone seeking answers to the most difficult questions of our time. — Anne Applebaum

Martin Wolf is our wisest, most acute, and most experienced commentator. He has long been an optimist, but no more. He believes that today’s market economy is no longer compatible with a stable liberal democracy. As Plato long ago warned, insecurity and fear can be the gateways to tyranny. Wolf’s recommendations are smart and sensible and perhaps not too late. A must read for both optimists and pessimists. — Sir Angus Deaton

The arrival of this book could not be timelier as the global economy darkens further. Who better than Martin Wolf, with his masterful knowledge of history and understanding of economics, to identify the twin threats of predatory capitalism and demagogic politics and to plot a narrow corridor to escape? It takes someone with a knowledge of the entire forest to isolate the rot at the base of the trees. — Carmen M. Reinhart