Neoliberalism operates from a unified playbook despite surface variation

Evidence

Contrary to the raft of writers who insist that modern neoliberalism is far too variegated, contingent, flexible, and local to constitute any sort of unified political movement, I shall insist that there indeed has been a standard-issue Neoliberal Playbook in responding to big political challenges; and furthermore, its scripts constitute the major reason that the NTC has come through the economic crisis unscathed. The full-spectrum mobilization strategy can then retrospectively begin to clarify some of the incidents recounted in previous chapters. What at the micro level might appear chaotic and wavering turns out to have been a canny stratagem from an altitude of 10,000 feet. — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 917

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: The central thesis — that apparent fragmentation and contingency is actually a coordinated full-spectrum campaign — reframes how the entire crisis response should be interpreted.
• XREF: connects to: Neoclassical economics and the Neoliberal Thought Collective are distinct movements — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 71; Neoliberals actively engineered their post-crisis survival rather than winning by default — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 23; Neoliberalism is a self-consciously evolving thought collective, not a fixed catechism — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 141 (+31 more)

Broader Connections

• Neo-neoliberalism achieves ubiquity through replication rather than movement #expands (0.85) — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race, 1877
• Neoliberalism’s cohesion comes from thought-collective structure, not explicit doctrine #expands (0.85) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 916
• Neoliberalism is internally plural yet not formless #qualifies (0.82) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 10
• Neoliberalism’s internal plurality is strategic strength, not weakness #qualifies (0.80) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1014
• Contingency scholars reject theoretical coherence in explaining neoliberal policy #contradicts (0.80)
• Neoliberalism’s deliberate epistemic inconsistencies enabled its long-term success #qualifies (0.77)
• Neoliberalism holds together several unresolved internal contradictions by asserting both sides at once #qualifies (0.75) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 2142