Despite all the criticism, the institutional strength and superiority of the Western liberal social model has long been a matter of social consensus. Its core institutions – democracy, the market economy, the rule of law, and the welfare state – have often been credited with an exceptional ability to perform, integrate, and adapt. Now, however, doubts are growing about the model’s capacity to deliver, particularly in light of how it is currently being challenged by authoritarian forces both at home and abroad.

This year’s Einstein Lecture examines how society is dealing with these symptoms of crisis and what consequences might arise due to weaknesses in the model. Could this susceptibility to crisis lead to a breakdown of motivation and legitimacy, or even to the destabilization of institutions that have thus far proven robust? And what political and social reactions are evident?

Steffen Mau is one of the most influential sociologists in Germany. He is currently the director and head of the Department of Inequality, Transformation, and Conflict at the Max Planck Institute for Political and Social Science. He also holds a professorship in macrosociology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. 

Professor Mau studied sociology and political science at Freie Universität Berlin from 1991 to 1997. He then earned his doctorate at the European University Institute in Florence, focusing on the welfare state. After completing his doctorate, he held positions at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the University of Bremen, where he was appointed junior professor of social policy in 2003 and professor of political sociology in 2005. He was appointed professor of macrosociology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in 2015. 

Among the many honors Professor Mau has received, the Leibniz Prize (2021) and the Communicator Award – Science Award (2023) are considered some of the most prestigious accolades in Germany.