Neoliberalism is best understood as open problems, not fixed solutions

Evidence

Like other authors in this volume, I suggest that we might better understand neoliberalism not as a collection of foregone conclusions and formulae, let alone as the final chapter in human history, but as a set of open-ended problems and questions. Among the unresolved questions faced by neoliberals are those of culture (are all populations equally capable of rational market activity?), of design (can institutions and laws be made or must they grow?), of legitimacy (how can markets survive despite their frequent cruelty?), of leadership (can judges, autocrats, central bankers, or businesspeople offer reliable guardians of order?), and of democracy (can it be contained and directed or must it be escaped?). While the final goal of creating a competitive order immunized from popular demands for social justice remains constant over time, neoliberal strategies for arriving at the goal change considerably. — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 162

Categorization

• XREF: Directly serves the reader’s stated goal of fracturing the caricature — internal varieties/debates framing. Connects to Mirowski’s other work on ‘the road from Mont Pelerin’ as ongoing problem-solving. — connects to: Neoliberalism has a coherent crisis logic despite lacking fixed doctrine — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 146; Neoliberal doctrine holds every problem, even market-caused ones, has a market solution — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 177; Neoliberalism may not cohere as a unified doctrine in actual practice. — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 185 (+12 more)

Broader Connections

• Neoliberalism is a novel doctrine in flux, not a return to laissez-faire #corroborates (0.78) — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 439
• Neoliberalism is a reprogramming of liberal governmentality, not a reaction to capitalist crisis #corroborates (0.75) — Wendy Brown, Undoing the Demos, 83
• Neoliberalism is internally plural yet not formless #qualifies (0.70) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 10