A Brief History of Neoliberalism
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David Harvey has produced an extraordinary book that is both informative and daring in its analsis. (Ionnis Hlinavos, Development and Change )
[An] impressive, condensed history of neo-liberalism...The many strengths of A Brief History of Neoliberalism cannot be adequately conveyed in this short space (Labour/Le Travail )
[An] impressive, condensed history of neo-liberalism...The many strengths of A Brief History of Neoliberalism cannot be adequately conveyed in this short space (Labour/Le Travail )
Red Pepper, 1 September 2006
'an excellent introduction to the political and economic story of
neoliberalism....highly readable book.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
neoliberalism....highly readable book.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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For any way of thought to become dominant, a conceptual apparatus has to be advanced that appeals to our intuitions and instincts, to our values and our desires, as well as to the possibilities inherent in the social world we inhabit. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
For any way of thought to become dominant, a conceptual apparatus has to be advanced that appeals to our intuitions and instincts, to our values and our desires, as well as to the possibilities inherent in the social world we inhabit. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I can't add much to what previous reviewers have said.
Their reviews, however, date from a few years ago. I have read 'A Brief History of Neoliberalism' in the first months of the Con-Dem coalition government in the UK. Listening to the speeches of government ministers and their justifications for their actions and reading Harvey at the same time brought on an uneasy feeling for they were articulating, almost verbatim, the logic of neoliberalism as explained by Harvey. Without, of course, the analysis of what lies beneath their ideological mania and the wholesale enrichment of the financial elite via the mechanism of crisis.
Also, I'd point out that Harvey predicted the financial crisis that eventually occured and foresaw the responses from the global capitalist class that have, indeed, been implemented.
Not so much a history book as a book about the present and the future.
Brilliant. Read it.
Their reviews, however, date from a few years ago. I have read 'A Brief History of Neoliberalism' in the first months of the Con-Dem coalition government in the UK. Listening to the speeches of government ministers and their justifications for their actions and reading Harvey at the same time brought on an uneasy feeling for they were articulating, almost verbatim, the logic of neoliberalism as explained by Harvey. Without, of course, the analysis of what lies beneath their ideological mania and the wholesale enrichment of the financial elite via the mechanism of crisis.
Also, I'd point out that Harvey predicted the financial crisis that eventually occured and foresaw the responses from the global capitalist class that have, indeed, been implemented.
Not so much a history book as a book about the present and the future.
Brilliant. Read it.
83 of 86 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Augusto Pinochet - these are the famous faces of neoliberalism, the economic (and, to some extent, philosophical) doctrine that advocates unregulated capitalism, free trade, small government (and hence low taxation) and the marketization of virtually every aspect of life. In this book, David Harvey does a good job of analysing the resurrection and rehabilitation of neoliberalism in the mid/late 1970s (with Paul Volocker at the US Federal Reserve Board, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and Deng Xiaoping's acension to the leadership in China); and he brings it right up to today, as China steams ahead in economic expansion and outsourcing of jobs becomes an evermore noticable aspect of dislocation in 'the West'.
Essentially, Harvey's thesis is that neoliberalism is a form of class war: it involves a massive transfer of wealth from the developing/underdeveloped world to the developed world. When neoliberalism threatens ruling class power, Harvey argues, the rules of the game suddenly change: neoliberalism departs from classical liberal economic theory to safeguard ruling interests. An example includes the fact that the IMF intervened in the Russian currency crisis in 1997-8 to save Western investors from having to suffer bad debts: such intervention took the form of foisting painful 'restructuring' programmes on the Russian economy, which manifested itself in massive cuts in public expenditure (public employment, social welfare provision etc.). Under classical liberal economic theory, the investors should have suffered the bad debts, while the IMF should have helped the Russian government manage its currency difficulties without drastic cuts in public provision.
Harvey is good at tracing the way neoliberalism built up support (or, at least, tolerance) among the public. The concept of 'freedom' was the keystone, he argues. Neoliberals in governments, think tanks, universities etc. argued that freedom from outside interference was the greatest form of freedom. Hence, all forms of interference with the individual citizen (say, high taxation to finance a generous welfare state) were presented as illegitimate and tyrannical. Consequently, neoliberalism found a receptive audience in the individualistic generation that came of age in the 1960s: their various forms of 'rebellion' could be easily absorbed into the cool, ironic and self-reflexive capitalism that neoliberalism unleashed.(Thomas Frank has written a lot about this, the 'commodification of dissent'.)
Harvey ends by insisting that neoliberalism can be challenged: it is not invensible. Yet, I wish he devoted a little more space to discussing strategies that could be used in the battle to defeat it. Nevertheless, this is a good place to start on your journey towards creating a just and more democratic world.
Essentially, Harvey's thesis is that neoliberalism is a form of class war: it involves a massive transfer of wealth from the developing/underdeveloped world to the developed world. When neoliberalism threatens ruling class power, Harvey argues, the rules of the game suddenly change: neoliberalism departs from classical liberal economic theory to safeguard ruling interests. An example includes the fact that the IMF intervened in the Russian currency crisis in 1997-8 to save Western investors from having to suffer bad debts: such intervention took the form of foisting painful 'restructuring' programmes on the Russian economy, which manifested itself in massive cuts in public expenditure (public employment, social welfare provision etc.). Under classical liberal economic theory, the investors should have suffered the bad debts, while the IMF should have helped the Russian government manage its currency difficulties without drastic cuts in public provision.
Harvey is good at tracing the way neoliberalism built up support (or, at least, tolerance) among the public. The concept of 'freedom' was the keystone, he argues. Neoliberals in governments, think tanks, universities etc. argued that freedom from outside interference was the greatest form of freedom. Hence, all forms of interference with the individual citizen (say, high taxation to finance a generous welfare state) were presented as illegitimate and tyrannical. Consequently, neoliberalism found a receptive audience in the individualistic generation that came of age in the 1960s: their various forms of 'rebellion' could be easily absorbed into the cool, ironic and self-reflexive capitalism that neoliberalism unleashed.(Thomas Frank has written a lot about this, the 'commodification of dissent'.)
Harvey ends by insisting that neoliberalism can be challenged: it is not invensible. Yet, I wish he devoted a little more space to discussing strategies that could be used in the battle to defeat it. Nevertheless, this is a good place to start on your journey towards creating a just and more democratic world.
29 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an essential, thought-provoking book for anyone engaged in international business, the media, corporate strategy and governance. It fills the gaps between what you see in the media and what you experience as a citizen and businessperson by very ably explaining the theory and practice of neoliberalism. This philosophy has largely replaced liberalism as a popular political doctrine. The results are not very impressive from a democratic perspective, according to this analysis by author David Harvey. Armed with a different perspective and interesting sources, he puts neoliberal political thought and practice into its modern context, in everything from foreign policy, to how the media (led by Fox News) presents events, to the emergence of the new super wealthy class built on huge profits raked in by select corporations. He dedicates a chapter to the way this policy has worked in China, and frequently cites its effects in other countries. We think this well-documented short book makes it easier for readers to understand contemporary events and recommends it to business strategists, media professionals and concerned world citizens.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
good introductory text to neoliberalism
A brief review to go with a brief history. David Harvey, one of the world's leading social scientists, details the dominant political ideology shaping a number of Western... Read more
Published 14 days ago by Rob Kitchin
excellent
The item arrived well before the delivery date, and it was in perfect conditions. I thank the seller for the excellent work!
Published 8 months ago by Ms. E. Baglioni
frighteningly prescient
I read this book this week and, although it was written pre-2008 credit crisis, it has remarkable foresight in explaining this week's Greek debt solution as the latest example of... Read more
Published 11 months ago by J. L. Papworth
Brilliant analysis
It may be familiar, but the way the forces of evil have sucked wealth away from the rest of us is clearly laid out here. Read more
Published 11 months ago by C. F. Boyle
A Brief History of Neoliberalism
David Harvey's book "A Brief History of Neoliberalism" is exactly that. It traces the origins of neoliberalism in the attempt of the capitalist class to reform itself and find a... Read more
Published 14 months ago by M. A. Krul
A powerful, though highly partial, critique
Neo-Liberalism, in essence the economic and political phenomena that has taken deep root in the world since the 1970s, is examined here and presented as an anti democratic force... Read more
Published 16 months ago by A. J. Smith
An impressive piece of work, to be taken with a grain of salt.
For me, the content in this book falls into three categories.
First, Harvey's accounts of neoliberalism in China; neoliberalism's relationship with the environment and... Read more
First, Harvey's accounts of neoliberalism in China; neoliberalism's relationship with the environment and... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mash
Great
Is exactly what it says! A brief history to neoliberalism. A fantastic, succinct and accessible introduction to the topic. Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2010 by Kristy Revell
Clear Concise, and scholarly analysis, exploding the myths of...
In this short, but very well written and factual book, Professor David Harvey exposes, through figures and charts, the way in which the current economic system, which manifested... Read more
Published on 30 Aug 2009 by Mr A Cahill
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