A working definition for 'neoliberalism'?

[RichardRay]

I've seen several posts where the participants have been getting sort of down and dirty about Senator Obama, his economic policies and his choices for economic advisers. People throw around the term 'neoliberalism' with great abandon, and as little rigor as some others scream the term 'neoconservative'. Leaving aside neoconservatism for now, what are the various understandings people have of just what a 'neoliberal' is? What are the policies espoused? the trade practices favored? the attitudes to labor to be expected?

There are a variety of definitions floating around the old Internet. Some are based on historical comparisons through which neoliberalism is seen as a reversion to the 19th century. Others focus mainly on the corporatist aspects of structure and still others on the free trade preferences of those called neoliberals. For some it seems a blanket term for 'economic thingies that are different from conservative policies but that I still don't like'.

When the term gets used in some of the spirited debates I've seen it seems like some posters mean one thing, and others something completely different it results in a lot of sturm und drang with the usual outcome; nothing of significance.

So, in the interest of getting someplace, what definitions would people like to offer for 'neoliberalism'? Even if there's no agreement, it would help to have a glossary to refer to when reading 'Poster A' and opposed to 'Poster B'.

[Fire_brand]

1. Neoliberal = Corporate Globalist

[SoonerPride]

4. Isn't that a republican? Why are people making up new terms to describe old ideas?

I think neoliberal is a made up term that has no meaning.

[RichardRay]

8. Via what etymology?

How does 'neoliberalism' -> 'Corporate Globalism'?

And, while you're at it, 'Corporate Globalism' as opposed to some other kind of Globalism?

[KittyWampus]

2. Liberal means "Unregulated". NeoLiberal means unregulated Economy. Corporations left

largely unfettered by government intervention. By implication NeoLiberalism is at odds with Socialism or the support of Labor.

And this is why I HATE the term Liberal applying to the Left in the USA.

It is simply not descriptive enough.

Liberal in USA = Unregulated what?

[janx]

3. I wondered about that too.

Somebody in the media probably latched onto it, and now it's being echoed.

[Marie26]

7. Americans have been very lucky.

The rest of the world has known about "neoliberalism" for decades. It is not a made-up term & not something the media has latched onto. If anything, the US media has ignored the term completely. Because for decades, neoliberalism was something the US imposed upon other countries. It's only recently that it has been imposed on us.

[KittyWampus]

21. If you think the USA spearheaded NeoLiberalism, you're wrong. NeoLiberalism is primarily European

by term usage and application.

[Marie26]

24. By term usage, yes.

Like I said, the term is not used much in the US. But by application, IMO neoliberal policies were absolutely spearheaded by the US & the UK.

Here's a good article: "A Short History of Neoliberalism" -
http://www.globalpolicy.org/globaliz/econ/histneol.htm

[Evergreen Emerald]

5. When I think of a neo-con, I think of a radical. They are not conservative

they are radical in their ideals and actions. Just look at the last eight years. There was a coup and America was taken over by radicals who attempted to dismantle many foundations of our government.

When I think of neo-liberal. I also think of radical. Not reasonable. Not liberal--radical. The guys who had their faces covered in Seattle during WTO and were breaking the store windows and throwing rocks at citizens and police.

[RichardRay]

12. Neoconservatives will claim to be disabused liberals.

Remember where they came from. Their roots are among people who were liberal-left a couple of decades ago and came to believe that the appropriate way to acheive their goals was through the imposition of US values and structures in other countries. The founders of the neoconservative movement also tended to have strong ties to Zionism that made it tough for them to go along with the pro-Palestinian/Right of Return leanings of the typical liberal of the time. They are 'neoconservative' in that they are willing to use typically conservative means to strive for what they still consider 'liberal' ends. (and, would they actually be better termed 'neoprogressives'? :shrug: )

[ret5hd]

6. It is a different definition of "liberal" than you are accustomed to:

from wiki:

Neoliberalism is a political movement that espouses economic liberalism as a means of promoting economic development and securing political liberty. The movement is sometimes described as an effort to revert to the economic policies of the 18th and 19th centuries classical liberalism.<1> Strictly in the context of English-language usage the term is a syllabic abbreviation of "neoclassical liberalism", since in other languages "liberalism", minus any modifier such as "social" (as in social liberalism), has more or less retained its classical meaning.

This term should not be confused with new liberalism

[RichardRay]

9. That seems like the tightest definition, but also

the one that is furthest from the useage I see here on DU. When I dig around beyond Wikipedia that's where the string seems to lead, but when I see the term in use it's nothing like that at all.

??????

[Marie26]

10. That's because most people don't know what it means

People hear "liberal" & think it's similar to political "liberalism" when in reality it's anything but. IMO every progressive should know what it means - we can't fight it unless we first understand what it is.

Adding link: Neoliberalism - http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=376

"Neo-liberalism" is a set of economic policies that have become widespread during the last 25 years or so. Although the word is rarely heard in the United States, you can clearly see the effects of neo-liberalism here as the rich grow richer and the poor grow poorer.

The main points of neo-liberalism include:

THE RULE OF THE MARKET. Liberating "free" enterprise or private enterprise from any bonds imposed by the government (the state) no matter how much social damage this causes. Greater openness to international trade and investment, as in NAFTA. Reduce wages by de-unionizing workers and eliminating workers' rights that had been won over many years of struggle. No more price controls. All in all, total freedom of movement for capital, goods and services. To convince us this is good for us, they say "an unregulated market is the best way to increase economic growth, which will ultimately benefit everyone." It's like Reagan's "supply-side" and "trickle-down" economics -- but somehow the wealth didn't trickle down very much.

CUTTING PUBLIC EXPENDITURE FOR SOCIAL SERVICES like education and health care. REDUCING THE SAFETY-NET FOR THE POOR, and even maintenance of roads, bridges, water supply -- again in the name of reducing government's role. Of course, they don't oppose government subsidies and tax benefits for business.

DEREGULATION. Reduce government regulation of everything that could diminsh profits, including protecting the environmentand safety on the job.

PRIVATIZATION. Sell state-owned enterprises, goods and services to private investors. This includes banks, key industries, railroads, toll highways, electricity, schools, hospitals and even fresh water. Although usually done in the name of greater efficiency, which is often needed, privatization has mainly had the effect of concentrating wealth even more in a few hands and making the public pay even more for its needs.

ELIMINATING THE CONCEPT OF "THE PUBLIC GOOD" or "COMMUNITY" and replacing it with "individual responsibility." Pressuring the poorest people in a society to find solutions to their lack of health care, education and social security all by themselves -- then blaming them, if they fail, as "lazy."

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. Neo-liberalism is Neo-conservatism with a smilie face.

The difference being that the neo-libs say they feel sorry about the people thrown under the bus in the name of capitalism.

[RichardRay]

15. I'm not certain that that's true.

Neoconservatism is basically a foreign policy stance, not an economic one. It seems like neoliberalism is almost purely and economic perspective. The connection between what we here in the US think of when we hear the term 'liberal' (social liberalism) and what the rest of the world hears in the term 'liberal' (economic liberalism) is pretty stark. The neoconservatives are descended from the US version of 'liberal', not the one common is the rest of the world.

[ContinentalOp]

20. Neolibralism is free market capitalism. Neoconservatives ARE neoliberals.

Neoconservatives are just a specific group of Republican neoliberals who emphasize the use of American military might to enforce neoliberal policies around the world.

[RichardRay]

23. Is that true?

It seems like the social sensibilities of some neoconservatives is at least superficially progressive - believers in an economic safety net, willing to forgoe a certain amount of market 'efficiency' in order to get it, supporters of social justice, etc. They just believe that it can be acheived by forcing it down people's throat with US military might.

[JVS]

13. My exposure to the term neoliberal has been within the context of economics.

Neoliberalism is the currently dominant economic school of thought, which was previously a matter of dispute as there were three major camps during much of the 20th century: Keynsian, free-market (which is essentially liberalism or neo-liberalism depending on POV), and Marxist economics.

[mohc]

14. Neoclassic Liberalism

Neoliberalism is a condensed form of Neoclassic Liberalism, which itself is a redundant form of Classic Liberalism. The reason for the "neo" tag is that in modern politics, liberals have moved past their classic goals and those that want to revert to the prior goals are making it "new" again. In other words, the political ideology of neoliberalism is roughly the same as 19th century liberals. Liberalisms classic stance has been in reducing aristocratic authority, and therefore fighting for greater economic freedom for individuals from the state. It basically ignores the fact that a large portion of aristocrats have abandoned the state and contributed to the rise of corporate authority. Neoliberalism matches classic liberalism in policy, but is counter to it in intent as it is effectively now fighting for greater authority for those that it used to fight against.

[ellacott]

18. That's how Thom Hartmann explains it

[Redbear]

16. They are confusing terms indeed, but my understanding is

The "liberal" theory of economics was like Adam Smith's ideas . "Free" markets are the best economic policy. This theory dominated

The liberal theory dominated until the Great Depression. The challenges there led to the dominance of the Keynesian model, which continued on up through the 1970s.

The Reagan era saw a return to the old "liberal" theory, and this return became known as neoliberalism.

Neoliberalism with its emphasis on smaller government, deregulation, and privatization has dominated through the 90s and in to the 21st century.

[RichardRay]

17. That's mine, too.

It seems that there needs to be a clean distinction between what we in this country call 'liberal' (political liberalsim with progressive ideals) and what the rest of the world calls 'liberal' (economic lassez-faire policies, headed towards right-libertarian).

[Recursion]

25. Interestingly you can trace it back to Carter

He sold deregulation (of airlines, long distance carriers, etc.) as a change from the interventionist tendencies of Nixonian Republicanism and Johnsonian Democratism. At the time, and at the limited level he did it, he probably had a point; it was the 4 Presidents after him that took it way, way, way too far.

[Recursion]

19. "Third way" centrism

The best examples among political leaders are probably Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. Basically, the rest of the world calls people "neoliberal" that we call "neoconservative": socially leftist but economically globalist and corporatist*. Francis Fukuyama and Christopher Hitchins are good examples of neoliberal writers. Neoliberal-leaning publications include The Economist and The Washington Post.

* the word "neoconservative" has been warped almost beyond recognition on this board. Neoconservatives aren't anti-abortion. They aren't against racial equality (Irving Kristol strongly and bravely supported the Civil Rights movement). They could care less if you're gay or straight. They don't want to put up 10 Commandments monuments. They want you to keep spending money in a global consumerist culture, and they want industrialized nations to use military force if necessary to keep that consumerist culture possible.

[RichardRay]

22. STRONGLY agree on the warped use of "neoconservative".

A lot of the seminal neoconservatives were heros in bygone days. They fit the definition of a pessimist as an optimist who's been disillusioned.