Ordoliberalism entailed an authoritarian skepticism toward democracy

Evidence

Given the range of worldwide neoliberal concepts, ordoliberalism as a specific continental European current was largely formed in Germany—and also in Turkish and Swiss exile—from the 1930s to the 1950s. Its distinctive characteristic is an elaborately developed theory of the state, which is held to be indispensable for the constitution and stabilization of the continuously aspired competitive order. German ordoliberal concepts entail a strong authoritarian element, which is displayed in a fundamental skepticism toward democracy: In this sense, the ordoliberal market society is a morally grounded and socially formed competitive society that is supposed to curb the acknowledged destructive potential of markets and special interests. — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 557

Categorization

• XREF: Contrasts with the Anglo-American strand of the Mont Pèlerin network; connects to debates on whether neoliberalism is fundamentally anti-democratic or merely elites-friendly. — connects to: Ordoliberalism justifies replacing democratic governance with rules and the ECB — Mark Blyth, Austerity: The History of a Dangerous…, 377; Neoliberal thinkers repeatedly countenanced dictators as the lesser evil — Quinn Slobodian, Globalists: The End of Empire and the…, 905; Neoliberalism’s weakening of democratic values enables neoconservative moralism and authoritarianism — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market: Human Rights…, 169 (+7 more)
• QUESTION: What exactly distinguishes ordoliberalism’s ‘authoritarian element’ from fascism? Worth chasing the Turkish exile dimension further.