Neoliberalism ...is an economic principle. It refers to the belief that markets should be frictionless and unfettered by things like regulation or organized labor. Neoliberalism has its roots in the Chicago School of economics pioneered by Milton Friedman in the 1970s. The concept found its footing in the 1970s and 80s, with champions like Chile’s Augusto Pinochet, Ronald Reagan, and Margaret Thatcher. It then evolved into a basic economic outlook for major political parties in much of the Western world.
Neoliberalism’s stature reached new heights in the 1990s, when President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement and British Prime Minister Tony Blair created the “New Labour” movement, moving the Labour Party away from its trade union roots.
This is the world that British journalist Paul Mason addresses in his book Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future, Mason ...argues that the current iteration of capitalism, neoliberalism — prevalent mostly in western democracies — is sick and dying.
So, how does all of this tie in to the 2016 presidential election? It starts, of course, with Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, both of whom have channeled voters’ frustration and anger with an economic world that, they feel, has left them behind.
In many ways, it is remarkable that candidates who speak against free trade the way Sanders and Trump have have had significant traction this primary election season. But the signs have been there over the past few years. Wendy Brown, a political scientist at the University of California, notes that the Occupy movement was among the first to point out the dangers of the neoliberal economic system.
more......
What Trump and Sanders' Success Says about the Fate of Capitalism - Fortune
Neoliberalism’s stature reached new heights in the 1990s, when President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement and British Prime Minister Tony Blair created the “New Labour” movement, moving the Labour Party away from its trade union roots.
This is the world that British journalist Paul Mason addresses in his book Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future, Mason ...argues that the current iteration of capitalism, neoliberalism — prevalent mostly in western democracies — is sick and dying.
So, how does all of this tie in to the 2016 presidential election? It starts, of course, with Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, both of whom have channeled voters’ frustration and anger with an economic world that, they feel, has left them behind.
In many ways, it is remarkable that candidates who speak against free trade the way Sanders and Trump have have had significant traction this primary election season. But the signs have been there over the past few years. Wendy Brown, a political scientist at the University of California, notes that the Occupy movement was among the first to point out the dangers of the neoliberal economic system.
more......
What Trump and Sanders' Success Says about the Fate of Capitalism - Fortune
