Neoliberalism’s contestedness reflects its diffuse, multi-variant nature, not emptiness.

Evidence

No. The difficulty in labeling individuals “neoliberal” is precisely an effect of neoliberalism being a diffuse and contested political ideology/project not tied to a single organization. That there are varieties of neoliberalism does not mean that the concept is entirely without merit. It is a political label and an academic label rather than an entity. This does not mean its use implies propaganda rather than simply a pejorative. — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 2095

Categorization

• QUESTION: Whether ‘neoliberalism’ names a real project or is purely an academic/political label remains contested — worth chasing the reception of this defense.
• DEFINE: Offers a working account of what using the term ‘neoliberalism’ does and does not commit one to.
• XREF: connects to: Ideological diversity is normal and not grounds for discarding the term neoliberalism — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 16; Neoliberalism’s contested definition does not make the term analytically useless — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 15; Neoliberalism is internally diverse and marked by real internal conflict — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 45 (+12 more)

Broader Connections

• Neoliberalism is internally plural yet not formless #corroborates (0.95) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 10
• Neoliberalism operates from a unified playbook despite surface variation #contradicts (0.85) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 917
• Neoliberalism’s cohesion comes from thought-collective structure, not explicit doctrine #corroborates (0.80) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 916
• Neoliberalism holds together several unresolved internal contradictions by asserting both sides at once #contradicts (0.72) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 2142
• Ordoliberalism is less distinct from other neoliberal streams than commonly assumed #qualifies (0.72) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 499