Corporate money shaped Mont Pèlerin debates by steering theory toward practical business problems

Evidence

The Society was an intellectual arena in which theoreticians of particular schools of thought—mainly ordoliberalism, the Austrian School, and the Chicago School—exchanged and confronted each other’s ideas. But the MPS was also a place to hobnob with some luminaries of the intellectual faction of the capitalist elites, persons in close contact with several highly influential businessmen (both in Switzerland and the United States) who supported the Society financially from its foundation. Thus, MPS discussions often began with theoretical issues but rapidly moved on to practical issues in direct connection with the types of problems that the capitalists had to confront, such as the union question. — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 955

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the general historiography of how business elites funded the neoliberal network (e.g., Slobodian, Phillips-Fein). — connects to: The Mont Pèlerin Society shifted from elite academia toward business interests — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 374; Mont Pèlerin entrepreneurship scholarship was co-financed and steered by corporate interests. — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 281; Corporate funding made the first Mont Pèlerin meeting financially possible — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 117 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Corporate and family money funded the Mont Pelerin Society’s American meeting #corroborates (0.85) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1464
• Big-business funders backing anticommunist causes also funded the Mont Pèlerin Society #corroborates (0.80) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 972
• Early Mont Pèlerin Society activity depended on small ideological think tanks for funding #expands (0.75) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1454
• Organizational power struggles shaped which factions of the Mont Pèlerin network rose #expands (0.72) — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion, 335