COVID-19 and the opportunity to change the neoliberal agenda: evidence from socio-employment policy responses across Europe

Abstract

Much of the recent literature on the COVID-19 pandemic agrees on the uniqueness of this crisis. Assessments of the subsequent policy response in Europe diverge, however: while some see signs of policy change, others consider the empirical evidence to be inconclusive or, worse, consistent with a reinforcement of neoliberalism. The present article aims to contribute to that debate by providing a preliminary assessment of policy measures in the areas of health care, employment protection and pensions. Recent measures are viewed in terms of the neoliberal paradigm, which is used as a benchmark to identify any sign of innovation. While it is too early to talk about a true paradigmatic transformation, the evidence collected from international datasets and official documents confirms that ideas and policy measures show signs of change. The article also suggests that the study of ideas is a promising field of enquiry with which to improve our understanding of the pandemic and its effects.

Cui bono – business or labour? Job retention policies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe

“…In our contribution, we discuss the importance of job retention policies during the COVID-19-related employment crisis, looking at whether welfare states extended pre-existing schemes or introduced new innovatory ones and whether these became widespread tools to prevent greater unemployment. In our analytical section, we discuss the political economy approach for our comparative analysis, arguing that varieties of economies and welfare state regimes play a role in accounting for cross-national variations in the design and effectiveness of job retention schemes (Natali, 2022). Although some of the schemes are being phased out, some policy innovations have the potential to remain in the tool-box for future economic crises, given their success during the pandemic.…”

Viral Neoliberalism: The Road to Herd Immunity Still A Rocky One

“…The prevailing biomedical paradigm, and particularly the massive propagation and in some places imposition of immature vaccines with limited efficacy, accompanied by considerable pressure, brought manufacturers with unimagined, state-subsidized billions in profits, [31][32][33] substantially favored by the redistribution from public to private and for profit, which is characteristic of neoliberalism: In addition to basic vaccine research being predominantly public, private firms received massive subsidies for applied research, testing, and distribution of the same vaccines and were simultaneously rewarded with weaker regulatory controls. 34 At the end of the day, the production and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines suggest that the pandemic has reinforced rather than questioned the neoliberal hegemony 35 and its colonial foundation 36 and anchored neoliberal thinking even deeper in people's and politicians' minds. Global vaccine inequity is one of the most outstanding consequences of neoliberal politics.…”

“…The prevailing biomedical paradigm, and particularly the massive propagation and in some places imposition of immature vaccines with limited efficacy, accompanied by considerable pressure, brought manufacturers with unimagined, state-subsidized billions in profits, 31 – 33 substantially favored by the redistribution from public to private and for profit, which is characteristic of neoliberalism: In addition to basic vaccine research being predominantly public, private firms received massive subsidies for applied research, testing, and distribution of the same vaccines and were simultaneously rewarded with weaker regulatory controls. 34 …”