Liberal Democracy and the Problem of Scarcity

Abstract

A growing recognition of the ecological limits to past forms of industrial production and economic growth has made the problem of scarcity arise as a central political challenge. This article explores the possibility that liberal democracy will not be able to meet that challenge and so must be replaced by new political theories and institutions. It discusses the work of several post-liberal theorists who maintain that ecological constraints will create a legitimation crisis for liberal democracy and that an authoritarian state will probably emerge from that crisis. Criticizing these theorists, the article argues that they underestimate the continuing viability of liberal democracy and concludes that a solution to the problem of scarcity can still be found within the theoretical and institutional resources of the liberal democratic tradition.