neoliberalism

Neoliberalism: Not Dead Yet

by Brett Christophers

The reassertion of state power over economies during the COVID pandemic shouldn't yet be taken as a sign of a turn away from the dominance of finance capital over the global economy and politics – market fundamentalism is only one part of the system. 

Two New Books Take the 1990s as a Pivotal Decade

by Henry M.J. Tonks

Books by Lily Geismer and Nicole Hemmer look at the changes that took place within the Democratic and Republican parties (respectively) during a decade that was supposed to be the end of history. 

Why the French are Striking

by Moshik Temkin

Brits and Americans commonly refer to French protests as a form of national sport, which obscures the serious retrenchment of the welfare state that President Macron is seeking to oppose, and trivializes opposition to the changes. 

Forum: Is "Equal Opportunity" the Wrong Goal?

by Christine Sypnowich

A political philosopher introduces a forum on inequality and justice by arguing that the focus on opportunity at the expense of equalizing outcomes will inevitably allow significant inequality to continue. 

Gary Gerstle on the End of Neoliberalism and What's Next

Political "orders," rather than election cycles, are a key way to understand big political shifts, like the rise and dismantling of the New Deal in America. 

Would the American Right Crash the Economy for Political Advantage? Ask Chile

by Ruth Ben-Ghiat

From the moment socialist Salvador Allende was declared the winner of Chile's 1970 election, Henry Kissinger and CIA director Richard Helms were at work to "make the economy scream" to create favorable conditions for a right-wing coup. 

Neoliberalism: Why is the Market Involved in Your Hallway Hangout?

by John Patrick Leary

A guide for teens and others to start thinking about how the big political and economic systems we live under shape our lives. Hint: it's about the conflicts between capitalism and democracy.

Julia Schleck on The Function of the University Today

by Michael Meranze

Julia Schleck's work ties the idea of academic freedom to the social role of the university and its internal labor practices, which threatens scholars with attacks from inside and outside the campus. 

How the "Third Way" Made Neoliberal Politics Seem Inevitable

by Lily Geismer

The Third Way never presented a coherent case for what it stood for or how it might balance the roles of the market and the state. But it led to a generational reworking of the role if government and a sidelining of mass political movements. 

God Save Us From the Economists

by Timothy Noah

Actress Jayne Mansfield was killed in a 1967 traffic accident; a truck trailer safety regulation review prompted in part by her highly public demise was finally implemented in 1996, after nearly 9,000 people were killed in similar crashes. Why? Blame a bipartisan faith in economists as policymakers. 

The Crossroads: Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor on the Inadequacy of Politics as Usual

"Today, we have lived through two terms of a Black presidency and the highest concentration of Black elected officials in Congress and beyond in American history. So the question of whether we can vote our way into liberation is no longer an abstraction."

Obama's Lost Manuscript is Also a Lost Path to a Left Populism

by Timothy Shenk

Substantive politics? Broad-based material benefits for the mass of Americans? Rejecting the rule of credentialed technocrats? Mobilizing voters and legislating instead of relying on the courts to protect basic rights? An unpublished 1990s manuscript co-authored by Barack Obama may leave readers wondering what happened to those ideas. 

Review Essay: How the Biggest Party Started Thinking Small

Books by Michael Kazin and Lily Geismer trace the rise and fall of the Democratic Party's reign as a party of big ideas and big initiatives. 

Inflation Opened the Door to American Neoliberalism

by Thom Hartmann

An inflationary crisis proved to be the justification for reworking the American political economy in the direction of the vast inequality we observe today. 

Ailing Empires: The Rhetoric of Decline in Britain and the US

by Jed Esty

If the US is following behind Great Britain in experiencing the strains of a collapsing empire, can Americans, their leaders, and their thinkers learn any lessons from the comparison and make a post-imperial society that is more humane and less nasty? 

Review: Does Gary Gerstle Get to the Meaning of Neoliberalism?

by Steven Hahn

Reviewer Steven Hahn says that Gerstle's new book effectively bridges the economic transformation of global capitalism with studies of the fracturing of the Democratic New Deal political coalition. 

Review: Gerstle on Free Markets and Besieged Citizens

by Robert Kuttner

Gary Gerstle's new history aims to define the political order that began under Jimmy Carter and resulted in the overturning of New Deal liberalism for the empty promises of a market society, with the power of the state insulating capitalism from democracy.

1989-2001: America's "Lost Weekend" When the Nation Blew its Shot at Peace and Prosperity

How did the United States go from victory in the Cold War and an economic boom to the brink of collapse? A decade of political rhetoric denying any useful role for government was a factor. 

Review: Gary Gerstle Argues the Pandemic Killed the Neoliberal Era (But Democrats Don't Know It Yet)

by Ed Burmila

"Gerstle makes an all but indisputable case that neoliberalism has had its lamentable time in the sun. The question that remains is: What comes next? As things stand at present, you’re probably not going to like it."

Review Essay: Who Did Neoliberalism?

by Erik Baker

New books wrestle with the rise and collapse of the 1960s New Left and the gulf between its aspirations and achievements, and assess whether 1960s radical intellectuals are responsible for present-day neoliberalism.