The Arc of Neoliberalism

Abstract

For three decades, neoliberalism dominated the global political economy. Defined as an explicit preference for private over public control, neoliberalism represented a dramatic break from postwar policies. This article examines the historical development of neoliberalism through three perspectives: as an economic policy, as an expression of political power, and as an ideational hegemony. We reject the notion of neoliberal inevitability and suggest how it came to dominate all other possible alternatives. The review emphasizes the critical importance of political preferences and influences as well as the central role ideas played in defining policy paradigms.

Ideology as blocked mourning: Greek national identity in times of economic crisis and austerity

“…These pressures certainly derive-at least partly-from a (neoliberal) pro-austerity hegemony on a global level but also on a European level, certainly since 2008. 94 But the political discourse articulated by pro-austerity Greek governments, and supported by the strongest mainstream media, also played an essential role in the spread of these pressures. Such pressures did not simply offer substantive support for the TINA doctrine but they also served to block the mourning process, thereby contributing to the polarisation and instability of the Greek political order over this period.…”

Variedades de neoliberalismo. Innovación conceptual para el análisis del rol del Estado en los mercados

“…La literatura reciente sobre el neoliberalismo ha privilegiado una acepción amplia del término, que ha sido usado para calificar fenómenos muy alejados de su propósito inicial (Centeno y Cohen, 2012;Mudge, 2008). Al contrario, aquí se sugiere volver a los fundamentos del concepto.…”

“…Otro motivo para considerar una supuesta obsolescencia del término «neoliberalismo» es que el término se ha transformado en un caso paradigmático de «estiramiento conceptual» y «vaporización empírica» (Sartori, 1970). Por ejemplo, algunos lo usan para describir la transformación antropológica de individuos que se han transformado en «emprendedores de sí mismos» (Foucault, 2004), mientras otros lo utilizan para referirse a un período histórico específico (Centeno y Cohen, 2012). En la política partidaria, es un instrumento eficaz para denigrar a los adversarios, ya que casi nadie se atreve a definirse a sí mismo como neoliberal (Boas y Gans-Morse, 2009).…”

Understanding responses to the political context of health inequalities in research and policy: Can post-structural theories of power help?

“…In this sense, many of the interviewees' accounts of processes of globalisation and the dominance of neo-liberalism point to an acceptance of the idea that 'there-is-no-alternative' (TINA) to neo-liberal, market policies (see Centeno and Cohen, 2012;Munck 2003). Yet, as various authors are keen to point out (Larner 2003;Tickell and Peck 2003;Peck 2004), policies everywhere are not necessarily converging around very specific similarities but, rather, share 'certain family resemblances' (Peck 2004) or historical legacies (Larner 2003).…”