Neoliberalism Revisited

Neoliberalism Revisited
Author: Gerardo Otero
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 283
Release: 2018-05-04
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0429973047

Having unilaterally opened its borders to international competition and foreign investment in the mid-1980s, Mexico has become one of the world's leading proponents of economic liberalization. Nevertheless, as the recent uprising of native peoples in Chiapas has made clear, economic reforms are not universally welcomed. This book addresses the challenges brought about by the restructuring of the Mexican economy at a time when-multiple organizations of civil society are demanding a democratic political transition in a system that has been dominated by one party for nearly seventy years. The contributors identify the key social and political actors—both domestic and international—involved in promoting or resisting the new economic model and examine the role of the state in the restructuring process. They explore such questions as: In what ways is the state itself being reconstituted to accommodate the demand for change? How have Canada and the United States responded to the increased internationalization of their economies? What are the challenges and prospects for transnational grassroots networks and labor solidarity? Answers are provided by scholars from anthropology, economics, history, political science, and sociology, all of whom promote interdisciplinary approaches to the issues. Each chapter traces the structural transformations within the central social relationships in Mexican society during the last decade or so and anticipates future consequences of today's changes.

The Iron Cage Revisited

The Iron Cage Revisited
Author: R. Bruce Douglass
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 361
Release: 2018-06-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 135197761X

At the start of the twentieth century, when Germany, among other nations, was undergoing industrialization, Max Weber famously characterized modern life in words that have often been translated as "iron cage." During the industrial era, that image caught on and was often used by scholars to express concerns about the extent to which the actual character of modern life contradicted its emancipatory promise. But we are living in a different time now, when the conditions under which we live seem to be quite different from the ones that pertained in Weber's day. It is a time when, in some respects at least, life seems to be freer and more conducive to experimentation, which has led some people to conclude that our societies have escaped from Weber's "cage." But is that really true? This book challenges that notion, considering the consequences for our way of life of the triumph of neoliberalism as a political force.

What is Neoliberalism? Revisiting the Question

What is Neoliberalism? Revisiting the Question
Author: Nader Elhefnawy
Publisher: Independently Published
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2022-06-18
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

The term neoliberal has been in wide academic use for decades but only fairly recently entered the conversation-and quickly become controversial as a result. Back in 2019 Nader Elhefnawy took up this controversy in his book What is Neoliberalism? In this follow-up he revisits the question, offering a new consideration of the word's different meanings, especially how neoliberalism has restructured the world economy and the model of growth policymakers follow in regard to it; the economic record that has followed from it, from what it has meant for international development to what it has meant for the middle class; and how neoliberalism has shaped our thinking about the world, extending even to the idea of the future itself.

Sraffa and Althusser Reconsidered

Sraffa and Althusser Reconsidered
Author: Paul Zarembka
Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2014-10-31
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1784410063

This volume examines the recent advance of neoliberalism. It focuses on three current instances of neoliberalism from around the world as well as providing an in-depth study of Sraffa's works; a critique of Althusser's interpretation of Marxist philosophy, and a discussion of labor aristocracy.

Neoliberalism as Exception

Neoliberalism as Exception
Author: Aihwa Ong
Publisher: Duke University Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2006-07-19
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0822387875

Neoliberalism is commonly viewed as an economic doctrine that seeks to limit the scope of government. Some consider it a form of predatory capitalism with adverse effects on the Global South. In this groundbreaking work, Aihwa Ong offers an alternative view of neoliberalism as an extraordinarily malleable technology of governing that is taken up in different ways by different regimes, be they authoritarian, democratic, or communist. Ong shows how East and Southeast Asian states are making exceptions to their usual practices of governing in order to position themselves to compete in the global economy. As she demonstrates, a variety of neoliberal strategies of governing are re-engineering political spaces and populations. Ong’s ethnographic case studies illuminate experiments and developments such as China’s creation of special market zones within its socialist economy; pro-capitalist Islam and women’s rights in Malaysia; Singapore’s repositioning as a hub of scientific expertise; and flexible labor and knowledge regimes that span the Pacific. Ong traces how these and other neoliberal exceptions to business as usual are reconfiguring relationships between governing and the governed, power and knowledge, and sovereignty and territoriality. She argues that an interactive mode of citizenship is emerging, one that organizes people—and distributes rights and benefits to them—according to their marketable skills rather than according to their membership within nation-states. Those whose knowledge and skills are not assigned significant market value—such as migrant women working as domestic maids in many Asian cities—are denied citizenship. Nevertheless, Ong suggests that as the seam between sovereignty and citizenship is pried apart, a new space is emerging for NGOs to advocate for the human rights of those excluded by neoliberal measures of human worthiness.

The Political Theory of Neoliberalism

The Political Theory of Neoliberalism
Author: Thomas Biebricher
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 367
Release: 2019-02-19
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1503607836

Neoliberalism has become a dirty word. In political discourse, it stigmatizes a political opponent as a market fundamentalist; in academia, the concept is also mainly wielded by its critics, while those who might be seen as actual neoliberals deny its very existence. Yet the term remains necessary for understanding the varieties of capitalism across space and time. Arguing that neoliberalism is widely misunderstood when reduced to a doctrine of markets and economics alone, this book shows that it has a political dimension that we can reconstruct and critique. Recognizing the heterogeneities within and between both neoliberal theory and practice, The Political Theory of Neoliberalism looks to distinguish between the two as well as to theorize their relationship. By examining the views of state, democracy, science, and politics in the work of six major figures—Eucken, Röpke, Rüstow, Hayek, Friedman, and Buchanan—it offers the first comprehensive account of the varieties of neoliberal political thought. Ordoliberal perspectives, in particular, emerge in a new light. Turning from abstract to concrete, the book also interprets recent neoliberal reforms of the European Union to offer a diagnosis of contemporary capitalism more generally. The latest economic crises hardly brought the neoliberal era to an end. Instead, as Thomas Biebricher shows, we are witnessing an authoritarian liberalism whose reign has only just begun.

The Hidden History of Neoliberalism

The Hidden History of Neoliberalism
Author: Thom Hartmann
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2022-09-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 1523002336

America's most popular progressive radio host and New York Times bestselling author Thom Hartmann reveals how and why neoliberalism became so prevalent in the United States and why it's time for us to turn our backs to it. With four decades of neoliberal rule coming to an end, America is at a crossroads. In this powerful and accessible book, Thom Hartmann demystifies neoliberalism and explains how we can use this pivotal point in time to create a more positive future. This book traces the history of neoliberalism-a set of capitalistic philosophies favoring free trade, low taxes on the rich, financial austerity, and deregulation of big business-up to the present day. Hartmann explains how neoliberalism was sold as a cure for wars and the Great Depression. He outlines the destructive impact that it has had on America, looking at how it has increased poverty, damaged the middle class, and corrupted our nation's politics. America is standing on the edge of a new progressive era. We can continue down the road to a neoliberal oligarchy, as supported by many of the nation's billionaires and giant corporations. Or we can choose to return to Keynesian economics and Alexander Hamilton's American Plan by raising taxes on the rich, reversing free trade, and building a society that works for all.

People, Power, and Profits: Progressive Capitalism for an Age of Discontent

People, Power, and Profits: Progressive Capitalism for an Age of Discontent
Author: Joseph E. Stiglitz
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2019-04-23
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1324004223

A Nobel prize winner challenges us to throw off the free market fundamentalists and reclaim our economy. We all have the sense that the American economy—and its government—tilts toward big business, but as Joseph E. Stiglitz explains in his new book, People, Power, and Profits, the situation is dire. A few corporations have come to dominate entire sectors of the economy, contributing to skyrocketing inequality and slow growth. This is how the financial industry has managed to write its own regulations, tech companies have accumulated reams of personal data with little oversight, and our government has negotiated trade deals that fail to represent the best interests of workers. Too many have made their wealth through exploitation of others rather than through wealth creation. If something isn’t done, new technologies may make matters worse, increasing inequality and unemployment. Stiglitz identifies the true sources of wealth and of increases in standards of living, based on learning, advances in science and technology, and the rule of law. He shows that the assault on the judiciary, universities, and the media undermines the very institutions that have long been the foundation of America’s economic might and its democracy. Helpless though we may feel today, we are far from powerless. In fact, the economic solutions are often quite clear. We need to exploit the benefits of markets while taming their excesses, making sure that markets work for us—the U.S. citizens—and not the other way around. If enough citizens rally behind the agenda for change outlined in this book, it may not be too late to create a progressive capitalism that will recreate a shared prosperity. Stiglitz shows how a middle-class life can once again be attainable by all. An authoritative account of the predictable dangers of free market fundamentalism and the foundations of progressive capitalism, People, Power, and Profits shows us an America in crisis, but also lights a path through this challenging time.

The Scourge of Neoliberalilsm

The Scourge of Neoliberalilsm
Author: Jack Rasmus
Publisher: SCB Distributors
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2020-01-15
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1949762041

"Rasmus excels at economic history... The Scourge is a powerful, important book. We ignore it at our peril." David Baker, Zmag While the capitalist system has undergone numerous restructurings throughout its history, the capitalist elites’ purpose in elaborating these changes has remained the same: to restore and/or extend their hegemony over domestic class and global challengers. The current systemic designation, operative since 1978, is “neoliberalism,” deployed to obfuscate what in actuality is US imperialism and domestic class warfare. The Scourge of Neoliberalism describes the origins and evolution of the specifically American form of Neoliberalism. Its expansionary phase—from 1978 to 2008—was disrupted by the global crash and crisis of 2008-09 and was only partially restored by the Obama regime thereafter. Trump’s attempt to resuscitate Neoliberalism has led to the emergence of a new, more aggressive and virulent form which, despite some gains, is nonetheless a destabilizing policy regimen destined to break down with the next global economic crisis, which is likely occur by 2020. The political consequences of US neoliberal policy evolution and restoration efforts have led, on the one hand, to the breakdown of government institutions, the decline of mainstream political parties, the atrophy of democratic practices, rights and values, and attacks on civil liberties, and on the other to the embedding of the Neoliberal credo that business tax cuts create jobs, free trade benefits all, low interest rates generate investment, entitlement programs are the cause of government deficits, markets are always efficient, recessions are caused by external shocks to an otherwise stable equilibrium system, and similar empirically unverifiable propositions. In describing the evolution of Neoliberal policies from Reagan through Clinton, the Bushes, Obama, and Trump presidencies, Rasmus shows how they have played a central enabling role in the financialization of the US capitalist economy, in its ever-growing income and wealth inequality gaps, and in the increasing polarization of US society and polity

The Rise and Fall of Neoliberalism

The Rise and Fall of Neoliberalism
Author: Kean Birch
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2010-06-24
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1848133502

The recent, devastating and ongoing economic crisis has exposed the faultlines in the dominant neoliberal economic order, opening debate for the first time in years on alternative visions that do not subscribe to a 'free' market ethic. Bringing together the work of distinguished scholars and dedicated activists, The Rise and Fall of Neoliberalism presents critical perspectives of neoliberal policies, questions the ideas underpinning neoliberalism, and explores diverse responses to it from around the world.