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Morals and politics in the ideology of neo-liberalism

Author

Listed:
  • Bruno Amable

    (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse the links between the moral and political aspects of neo-liberal ideology and how appeals to certain ethics may legitimate the establishment of the institutions of neo-liberal capitalism through political action. It presents the original characteristics of neo-liberal ideology by emphasizing how it differs from classical liberalism. Although pressures and contradictions are inherent in neo-liberalism, it is possible to single out some of its most original characteristics which are far more vital to the analysis of capitalism than vague and commonplace notions such as "market fundamentalism". It also describes those moral aspects of neo-liberalism which differ from traditional morals and place the ethos of competitiveness at the centre of social life. It shows how the morals of neo-liberalism are linked to neo-liberal politics and policies. Freed in part from public sovereignty, neo-liberal politics must be guided by a moral imperative linked to competition. This paper reveals the consequences of these morals and politics for the definition of social policy. A contract based on reciprocity between the individual and society is substituted for collective rights to social protection and redistribution. This change in perspective is particularly important for the social policy advocated by the "modern" left.

Suggested Citation

  • Bruno Amable, 2011. "Morals and politics in the ideology of neo-liberalism," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) hal-00553001, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:cesptp:hal-00553001
    DOI: 10.1093/ser/mwq015
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    Cited by:

    1. Béatrice Parguel & Johnson Guillaume, 2021. "Beyond greenwashing: Addressing 'the great illusion' of green advertising," Post-Print halshs-03425494, HAL.
    2. Clément Carbonnier, 2023. "Welfare Economics and Neoliberalism: Interpreting the ideal type of perfect competition general equilibrium," Working Papers hal-04062786, HAL.
    3. Cohen, Joseph N, 2011. "“Economic freedom” and economic growth: questioning the claim that freer markets make societies more prosperous," MPRA Paper 33758, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Silvia Sacchetti & Carlo Borzaga, 2021. "The foundations of the “public organisation”: governance failure and the problem of external effects," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 25(3), pages 731-758, September.
    5. Lucy Baker, 2021. "Everyday experiences of digital financial inclusion in India's ‘micro-entrepreneur’ paratransit services," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 53(7), pages 1810-1827, October.
    6. Patrick Bresnihan, 2019. "Revisiting neoliberalism in the oceans: Governmentality and the biopolitics of ‘improvement’ in the Irish and European fisheries," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 51(1), pages 156-177, February.
    7. Bruno Amable, 2014. "The unsolved contradictions of the modernists. Economic policy expectations and political crisis in France 1978-2012," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) halshs-00973926, HAL.
    8. Claes Belfrage & Markus Kallifatides, 2018. "Financialisation and the New Swedish Model [Ownership and control in Sweden: strong owners, weak minorities and social control]," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 42(4), pages 875-900.
    9. Hien, Josef, 2017. "The European Sovereign Debt Crisis and the Danger of Ideational Monocultures," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 25(2), pages 115-124.
    10. David Dequech, 2016. "Some Institutions (Social Norms And Conventions) Of Contemporary Mainstream Economics, Macroeconomics, And Financial Economics," Anais do XLIII Encontro Nacional de Economia [Proceedings of the 43rd Brazilian Economics Meeting] 006, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics].
    11. Victor Wong & Tat Chor Au-Yeung, 2019. "Autonomous precarity or precarious autonomy? Dilemmas of young workers in Hong Kong," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 30(2), pages 241-261, June.
    12. Charles Harvey & Jillian Gordon & Mairi Maclean, 2021. "The Ethics of Entrepreneurial Philanthropy," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 171(1), pages 33-49, June.
    13. Gregory Jackson, 2016. "Toward a Conceptual Framework for Understanding Institutional Change in Japanese Capitalism: Structural Transformations and Organizational Diversity," Working Papers halshs-01643921, HAL.
    14. Rafael Robina-Ramírez & Marcelo Sánchez-Oro Sánchez & Héctor Valentín Jiménez-Naranjo & José Castro-Serrano, 2022. "Tourism governance during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis: A proposal for a sustainable model to restore the tourism industry," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 6391-6412, May.

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