Networked mutual influence, not heroic individuals, explains neoliberal thought formation

Evidence

The hero graphical approach does not explain how and why so many Mont Pélerin intellectuals were so pervasively influenced by each other, and consequently by each of the different and partly contradictory streams of economic, political, and philosophical thought represented within the MPS-spawned neoliberal communities. We have sought to show in The Road from Mont Pèlerin how even certain disregarded elements of neoliberal thought continued to resonate, providing a source of inspiration for other scholars in other times. — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 13

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels Milgrom’s account of reputation networks in trade and Coleman’s social capital: dense interaction networks, not isolated actors, drive institutional and intellectual outcomes. — connects to: Personal networks placed psychoanalysis inside the Institute of Social Research, linking it with Marxism — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 214; Conservative ideas formed through cross-national networks and institutional contexts, not isolated biography. — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 27; Neoliberalism’s core concepts formed in the 1930s through networked institutions — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 352 (+18 more)

Broader Connections

• Neoliberalism’s spread depended on transnational discourse networks rather than national institutions alone #corroborates (0.93) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 2118
• Neoliberalism rose to hegemony through transnational networks of scholars and allies #corroborates (0.92) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 81
• Neoliberal think-tank networks manufactured an international bestseller phenomenon #exemplifies (0.85) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1952
• Neoliberal ‘spontaneous order’ rhetoric masked deliberately orchestrated institutional networks #corroborates (0.85) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 2114
• Neo-neoliberalism achieves ubiquity through replication rather than movement #corroborates (0.80) — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race, 1877
• Neoliberalism is a self-consciously evolving thought collective, not a fixed catechism #expands (0.80) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 141