The Republic of Innovation
A New Political Economy of Freedom
1. Edition November 2025
180 Pages, Softcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
We cling to a distorted idea of freedom. To be free, we commonly think, means to be unconstrained. This widespread belief makes our societies less fair, as it fails to confront that freedom to act can mean freedom to dominate. But, as Andrea Capussela argues in this highly original combination of philosophy and economics, that is not all: it also makes us less prosperous.
True freedom, Capussela writes, arises when no one is subject to another's will, be that the will of an employer, Big Tech, or the so-called elite. A society that strives toward this higher ideal will become more innovative, as increasing numbers of people are granted enough security to flourish, experiment, and take risks. Capussela intertwines political philosophy with cutting-edge theories of economic growth, presenting the synergy between them as the basis for political programmes that can help western democracies rise above the legacy of neoliberalism and overcome their crisis.
Preface
Introduction
1 The Argument in Brief
2 Before and After Neoliberalism
3 Liberal and Republican Freedom
4 Interlude: Power, Contestation, and Democracy
5 Liberal Remedies
6 Republican Remedies
Conclusion
Notes
References
Index
Philip Pettit, Princeton University, Australian National University, and author of Republicanism
"A powerful critique of the asymmetries of economic and political power that threaten equity and prosperity. Capussela's compelling vision of republican non-domination shows how to build a better future. An essential book for our troubled times."
Martin Daunton, University of Cambridge, and author of The Economic Government of the World, 1933-2023
"Andrea Capussela dares us to imagine a future in which all citizens can prosper as self-governing individuals. A bracing argument that integrates political theory and political economy in highly original ways."
Gary Gerstle, University of Cambridge, and author of The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order
"A brilliant new book (that) confronts the whole question of current economic policies in relation to the idea of liberty as independence."
Quentin Skinner, Roots and Branches Podcast (1 October, 2025), Queen Mary, University of London, and author of Liberty as Independence