Neoliberalism and Right-Wing Populism–A Love Story

Neoliberalism and right-wing populism are central themes in contemporary political literature, with neoliberalism advocating for liberal capitalist institutions alongside limited democracy and a modest welfare state, while populism generally portrays society as a conflict between “the pure people” and “the corrupt elite.” Some scholars view populism as a total rejection of neoliberalism’s policy failures, while others argue that populism still incorporates neoliberal free-market principles. This article argues that neoliberalism and populism operate symbiotically, perpetuating themselves by manufacturing crises and marginalizing alternative narratives. Drawing on Antonio Gramsci’s notion of hegemony, I argue that both ideologies construct and transform social reality through linguistic devices. I illustrate the argument with examples from the UK, focusing on immigration discourse. I contend that populism supports neoliberalism’s agnotological project by fostering doubt and controversy, while neoliberalism’s crises generate the emotional responses that populism exploits for support.