Neoliberal institutions aimed to build a new creed, not revive old liberalism
Evidence
The ultimate purpose of institutions such as the MPS and the Chicago School was not so much to revive a dormant classical liberalism as it was to forge a neoliberalism better suited to modern conditions. — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 773
Categorization
- XREF: Engages the ongoing historiographical debate over whether late-century market thought was a ‘neoliberal novelty’ or a classical liberal revival — the claim here comes down firmly on the novelty side (cf. Mirowski & Plehwe). — connects to: Neoliberalism’s founders believed ideological change demanded deliberate collective organization — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 218; Neoliberals do not practice the laissez-faire they preach to the public.; Neoliberalism’s 1980s breakthrough rested on decades of prior institutional groundwork — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 128 (+11 more)
Broader Connections
- Neoliberalism is activist constructivism, not laissez-faire passivity.
#corroborates(0.95) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 2125 - Neoliberals pursued an engineered order rather than expecting free markets to emerge naturally
#expands(0.88) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1907 - Neoliberalism’s core break with classical liberalism is its constructivist view of the state
#corroborates(0.85) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 776 - Early neoliberals rejected laissez-faire and wanted strong state action
#expands(0.85) - Neoliberalism is a reprogramming of liberal governmentality, not a reaction to capitalist crisis
#expands(0.82) — Wendy Brown, Undoing the Demos, 83 - Neoliberalism differs from laissez-faire liberalism by using state intervention to create competition
#expands(0.78) - Neoliberalism seeks to strengthen rather than shrink the state
#expands(0.75) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 2128 - Neoliberalism centered on a strong state, not the classical night-watchman state
#expands(0.75) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 2145