Introduction Economists and Socialism
Introduction Economists and Socialism
Neoliberalism is an economic and political ideology that fundamentally changed the world. It glorifies the market while condemning the state, socialism, and even collective ideals such as social justice. The global victory of neoliberal capitalism seems to have been affirmed by the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 that led to the further dismantling of state socialism in favor of market and democratic reforms worldwide. This book argues that neoliberal capitalism was not a hegemonic juggernaut but a parasitic growth on the very socialist alternatives it rejected. It examines the socialist origins of neoliberalism and looks at the important role played by professional economists in the development and spread of neoliberal ideas and policies. It also offers a fourfold definition of neoliberalism based on its avid support for competitive markets, capitalism, and smaller, authoritarian states as well as hierarchical firms, management, and owners. The book considers two experiments in decentralized socialism in Eastern Europe: the worker self-management socialism in Yugoslavia and market socialism (“goulash communism”) in Hungary.
Keywords: neoliberalism, capitalism, socialism, competitive markets, authoritarian states, Eastern Europe, Yugoslavia, goulash communism, Hungary
Stanford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
