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Gérard Roland on Why Democracy and the Nation-State May Be on a Collision Course

28 August, 2026

In a new interview for the CERGE-EI Blog, economist Gérard Roland discusses the ideas behind his latest book, Empires, Nation-States, and Democracies, and reflects on the future of democracy in an increasingly unstable global order.

Professor Roland has a long-standing connection to CERGE-EI, having served for many years on its Executive and Supervisory Committee (ESC) and as a member of the CERGE-EI Board of Trustees.

Roland distinguishes between empires, ethnic nation-states and open democracies, arguing that the tension between these political models may shape the coming decades. Drawing on the experience of post-communist Europe, he suggests that projects aimed at creating ethnically homogeneous nation-states ultimately come into conflict with democratic openness.

“What I emphasize is that in the long run, you cannot have both. You must choose: either the nation-state or democracy.”

The interview ranges widely across current geopolitical and economic challenges. Roland discusses the structural vulnerabilities of Russia and China, the implications of a more isolationist United States, the European Union as a possible model of supranational cooperation, and the economic costs of nationalism. He also argues that freedom and openness provide democracies with an important economic advantage in a world increasingly dependent on human capital, research and innovation.

Despite democratic backsliding, military conflicts and geopolitical instability, Roland remains optimistic about democracy in the long run. Recalling the fall of the Berlin Wall and the transformation of Central and Eastern Europe after 1989, he argues that the desire for political freedom should not be underestimated.

“When you live under democracy, you take it for granted. If you live under dictatorship, democracy is a dream you want to fight for. People will continue fighting for it.”

Read the full interview on the CERGE-EI Blog: Democracy’s Future Lies Beyond the Nation-State