Neoliberalism differs from traditional conservatism in ways that shield it from accountability

Evidence

While one can readily endorse Corey Robin’s insistence that the historical common denominator of conservatism has been that “the conservative favored liberty for the higher orders and constraint for the lower orders” (The Reactionary Mind, p. 8), there is indeed something more that sets the neoliberals apart, and helps explain their successes in the face of economic circumstances that should have shredded their credibility. — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 2313

Categorization

• QUESTION: What exactly distinguishes the neoliberals from Robin’s conservatism? The passage notes the distinction but doesn’t yet name it — worth chasing what follows in the chapter.
• XREF: connects to: Neoconservatism and neoliberalism remain contested as distinct or overlapping schools — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 1822; Pseudo-conservatism masked destructive impulses beneath conventional values, unlike genuine conservatism — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 1800; Neoliberalism lacks a stable meaning or historically specific constituency — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 17 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Neoconservatism and neoliberalism remain contested as distinct or overlapping schools #expands (0.80) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1822
• Neoliberalism’s political strength partly derives from being poorly understood #corroborates (0.80) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 81
• Neoliberalism’s public rhetoric of open liberalism contradicted its actual closed, hierarchical organization #corroborates (0.78) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 200
• Neoliberalism lacks a stable meaning or historically specific constituency #expands (0.75) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 17
• Neoliberalism sustains itself through double-truth pretenses of spontaneous revolt masking top-down organization #corroborates (0.75) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 210
• Pseudo-conservatism masked destructive impulses beneath conventional values, unlike genuine conservatism #qualifies (0.72) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 1800