Intelligence Squared: The Threat of Capitalism Without Democracy, with Martin Wolf

Democratic capitalism, the idea that a combination of free markets and free elections is the optimal system for achieving human flourishing is under attack. Donald Trump has put crippling tariffs on traditional US allies. The world’s richest man Elon Musk has aligned himself with far right parties and claims mass migration is destroying Europe. And across the world extreme parties on the left and right are replacing the centre. Some now openly argue that capitalism would be better without democracy; others that democracy would be better without capitalism.

On November 12, Martin Wolf, the chief economics commentator at the Financial Times, comes to Intelligence Squared to mark the launch of an updated edition of his new book The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism, and make the case for why in 2026, the combination of both democracy and capitalism is needed more than ever.

Join Martin live in London and ask your questions in the audience Q&A.