"Commonly rejected as shrill and overspent, "neoliberalism", this book argues, is a useful lens for understanding a wide range of political phenomena: those pertaining to the order of advanced Western societies, but also others that signal rupture at theextreme right and left ends of the political spectrum, often referred to as identity politics. With respect to order, neoliberalism undermines the liberal-democratic synthesis that had brought prosperity and stability after World War II. A tension with, if not hostility to, democracy is the common denominator of neoliberalism`s multiple political forms, from authoritarianism to governance (and several more). The iron feature of the neoliberal condition is to be "without alternative", which fully imposed itself once the political left, in terms of the Third Way, embraced its principles. In response to the center right-left consensus on market-conformant principles and policies, there have been radical parties and movements that signal rupture: right-wing populism, on the one hand, and left identity politics, on the other, both mutually reenforcing one another in an escalating spiral of conflict. However, rather than repairing the notorious democracy deficit of the neoliberal order, the explicitly illiberal leanings of these forces of rupture, despite their claims to be authentically democratic, make them a threat to liberal democracy, not a cure to its problems. Against early hopes for a return of a public-good minded and "caring" state, political neoliberalism also survived the Covid-19 pandemic unscathed, and there is no force on the horizon that could put it off-track. "-- Provided by publisher.
In recent years, the concept of neoliberalism has been discarded as shrill and overspent. In Political Neoliberalism, Christian Joppke argues that it is a useful lens to make sense of a wide range of political phenomena--those pertaining to the order and governing of advanced Western societies, but also rupture and conflict at the extreme right and left ends of the political spectrum.
With respect to order, Joppke outlines an inventory of the political forms of neoliberalism that undermined the post-World War II liberal-democratic synthesis. This is complemented by a genealogy of neoliberalism, which matured from a movement associated with the right into a full-blown political order once the left, in terms of the Third Way, embraced its principles. In response to the center right-left consensus on market-conforming principles and policies, radical movements have emerged that signal rupture: right-wing populism, on the one hand, and left-wing identity politics, on the other. Despite their oppositionist posture and claims to be authentically democratic, Joppke argues that both are movements within rather than against neoliberalism. Their illiberal leanings make them unsuited to credibly recover democracy, the indispensable tool to rein in the imposition of market principles on most--if not all--aspects of society.
In contrast to the optimism for a return of a public-good oriented state that was galvanized by the Covid-19 pandemic, Joppke's telling closes with an indictment of the ways pandemic public health management rejuvenated political neoliberalism through the expansion of technocratic authoritarianism and the increased power of big corporations, with no forces on the horizon capable of shifting political neoliberalism off-track. A shrewd and original analysis of what must be considered the predominant ideological project in our time, this is essential reading for anyone interested in neoliberalism and the persistent crisis of liberal democracy.
In Political Neoliberalism, Christian Joppke tackles one of the most disputed concepts in current social thought, arguing that neoliberalism is a useful lens to make sense of a wide range of political phenomena--those pertaining to the order and governing of advanced Western societies, but also rupture and conflict at the extreme right and left ends of the political spectrum. A shrewd and original analysis of the predominant ideological project in our time, this is essential reading for anyone interested in neoliberalism and the crisis of liberal democracy.
