Institutionalizing Neoliberalism: 21st-Century Capitalism, Market Sprawl, and Social Policy in the United States

Abstract

Neoliberalism is a foundational expression of 21st‐century capitalism. This article advances critiques of neoliberal influences on social welfare in the United States by detailing how core neoliberal principles such as individualism, freedom of choice, rationality, self‐interest, utilization of market mechanisms, and non‐intervention of the state have become institutionalized in contemporary social services as (i) welfare capitalism, (ii) privatization, (iii) contract service delivery, (iv) individual savings strategies, (v) voucher systems, (vi) consumer‐directed spending, and (vii) labor market activation. The authors provide an overview of capitalism and classic economic liberalism as incubators of neoliberalism and describe each mechanism and propose a framework to visualize their interrelated structure. As indicators of market sprawl, these mechanisms express and perpetuate deep market involvement in the health and human service sector. It is argued that the neoliberal institutionalization of social services is antithetical to the goals of a modern welfare system, and instead creates punitive and restrictive programs and policies. Recommended actions include critique and empirical examination of how market mechanisms influence the social services sector, specifically regarding the intermediary role of government‐funded private sector service provision.

Daily relationships between job insecurity and emotional labor amid COVID-19: Mediation of ego depletion and moderation of off-job control and work-related smartphone use.

“…In addition to these organizational-level interventions, employees need to protect themselves from potential threats to job continuity. Given that perceived job insecurity diminishes when individuals are equipped with marketability (Spurk et al, 2016), we recommend that employees develop their skills and desired attributes (Adams et al, 2019; Capelli, 1999), which will turn them into free agents in the labor market, experiencing less job insecurity under a pandemic or economic crisis (Caplan & Ricciardelli, 2016). In addition, employees can decrease their job-insecurity perceptions by participating in career development programs that assist lifelong learning and boundary-less careers (Crowley & Hodson, 2014).…”

Rent Burden and Depression Among Mothers: an Analysis of Primary Caregiver Outcomes

“…These most recent disinvestments in public housing assistance follow decades of institutional interventions such as public-private partnership housing developments coupled with tax break schemes, voucher systems such as Sect. 8 and Housing Choice Voucher Program policies, and other welfare interventions that could be described as neoliberal housing policy strategies (Caplan & Ricciardelli, 2016). With the current and longstanding issues of housing cost burdens in the USA, the literature and current evidence do not seem to indicate if or how a combination of modern capitalist interventions can address the widespread problems of the housing cost burden, and we, perhaps, might do better in solving the problems of housing if housing were framed and perceived as a basic human need related to health outcomes and not considered a capitalist commodity (Aalbers & Christophers, 2014;Fraser, 2014;Kotz, 2009;Lapavistas, 2009;Rolnik, 2013;Schwartz & Seabrooke, 2009).…”

(Un)Belonging: The Production of Black Trans Loneliness

“…Alongside anti-Blackness and cisheterosexism, neoliberalism is a violent, elusive, yet diffuse economic and political paradigm that transforms all human and cultural value into economic value (Hong, 2015; Reddy, 2019). The ideology is powerful because it is not understood as an ideology but rather acts as common sense (Caplan & Ricciardelli, 2016). Through this common sense, neoliberalism disguises its role in maintaining white supremacy through the regulation of racialized cisheteronormativity (Reddy, 2019).…”

“…Through this common sense, neoliberalism disguises its role in maintaining white supremacy through the regulation of racialized cisheteronormativity (Reddy, 2019). Neoliberalism is characterized by principles of individualism, freedom of choice, merit, privatization, deregulation, and outsourcing (Caplan & Ricciardelli, 2016; Hong, 2015; Monbiot, 2016). By the 1980s, neoliberal austerity was far-reaching and included tax cuts for the rich, deregulation, outsourcing, and privatization (Caplan & Ricciardelli, 2016; Monbiot, 2016).…”