The New

The New Institute publishes collaborative research in the humanities and social sciences that pushes past mainstream solutions to the nested crises of the present.

Publications in the series offer future-oriented responses along the dimensions of what it means to be human, how to improve democratic self-governance, and how to achieve socio-economic transformation. The long-term goal is to make humanistic research relevant and accessible to wider audiences. All of the books are published as open access publications by transcript.

In many countries, the political backlash against neoliberalism has mainly been a retreat from democracy, with a decline in independence of the judiciary and the monetary authorities, increased control of the media, and manipulation of elections for purposes of authoritarian control. The economic dynamics and the impact of neoliberalism, i.e., deregulation and liberalized markets, is just one cause of this authoritarian shift. The contributors to this volume examine the impact of neoliberal economic policies in relation to cultural and political factors and how these have promoted the recent authoritarian turn, as well as probing the economic policies and performance of the illiberal regimes.

The 17 essays in this volume investigate potentials for democratizing democracies. From finding faith to reclaiming the commons, each essay aims to plant a seed, which carries the promise of democratic potentials. Dealing with topics like planetary change, AI, and plural knowledge systems, the book acts as an inspiration, calling for unorthodox, compassionate, and experimental approaches. It is an invitation to cultivate democratic futures that are as diverse, resilient, and vibrant as the societies they aim to serve.