We live in the age of neoliberalism. It strongly influences the lives of billions of
people in every continent in such diverse areas as economics, politics, international
relations, ideology, culture and so on. In less than one generation, neoliberalism
has become so widespread and influential, and so deeply intermingled with critically
important aspects of life, that it can be difficult to assess its nature and historical
importance. Yet such an assessment is essential for both intellectual and
political reasons.
This reader includes 30 chapters critically reviewing neoliberalism from widely
different angles and outlining a research agenda for concerned activists, students
and social scientists. These essays are divided into three groups, including theoretical,
applied and historical chapters. The essays included in this reader share
several important features. First, they examine the origins, nature and implications
of neoliberalism from the perspective of radical political economy. Second,
although they come from distinct traditions, including the Marxian, post-Keynesian
and Kaleckian schools of thought, the essays are closely related to one another
both in content and approach. These commonalities illustrate the vitality of contemporary
political economy, the extent and depth of the dialogue taking place
between its schools of thought, and the potential for cross-fertilisation between
them. Third, these essays offer a radical critique of neoliberalism, that is, a critique
going to the root of the matter.