Have we ever been neoliberal?
This working paper was supposed to form the basis of a conference presentation for the IIPPE session of the same name (see earlier posts).
The main objective of this working paper is to reconsider neoliberalism as the main explanation for the recent and ongoing financial mess we are in. It is essential at this juncture to undertake this task in order to understand what actually underpins the financial crisis. Is it a free-market or neoliberal ideology and set of policies? Or is it something else that critical thinkers should have been focusing on all along? Have we missed something that is central for understanding national and international political economy? This leads me to question whether we have ever been neoliberal after all.