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Capitalism, Democracy and Inequality (971M9)

15 credits, Level 7 (Masters)

Autumn teaching

The relationship between capitalism and democracy has long been difficult – has it fallen apart? On this module, you’ll examine key debates on this complicated connection.

You’ll cover:

• if capitalism needs democracy
• how the relationship evolved from the post-war ‘golden era’, to the high tide of neoliberalism, to the current ‘polycrisis’
• how and why inequality has risen.

You’ll also examine key issues facing contemporary capitalist democracies. This includes the causes and consequences of:

• inequality
• post-democracy
• authoritarian neoliberalism
• austerity
• declining political trust
• climate change.

Viewing capitalism as political, historically specific and uneven, you’ll gain the tools to diagnose pathologies of contemporary capitalist democracy.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2026/27. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.