PW Zuidhof

This article surveys 10 introductory economics textbooks to examine whether and how economics contributed to the rise of neoliberalism. It defines neoliberalism as a political rationality characterized by market constructivism. In contrast with conventional liberal approaches that view limited government as legitimized by the failure of naturalist markets, neoliberalism constructs the market as norm and means of government. Economics textbooks overall have a liberal outlook, as exemplified by Samuelson's classic, however, with three liberal subgenres: the imperfect market view, the free market view, and an institutionalist view. While the introductory textbook cannot be construed as an instruction manual for neoliberalism, the article nevertheless identifies two important neoliberal moments: the discussion of market-based forms of government and the rise of a new genre of principles textbook that urges students to “think like an economist.” The article concludes with novel insights on how economics may have contributed to the spread of neoliberalism.

This article studies the quiet rise of neoliberal modes of government in the Netherlands during the 1990s. Using a Foucauldian governmentality perspective, it examines twelve reports issued by independent governmental policy advisory councils between 1998 and 2005 to see how they reflected on the changing relationship between the market and government. In response to the growing neoliberalization of Dutch policy, the advisory councils asked how market instruments could be put to better use for attaining public policy goals. Four patterns were identified in their response. First, the advisory councils moved to depoliticize the market question by providing a scientific and rational footing for neoliberal policies. Second, the reports indirectly pointed out that neoliberal policies are not concerned with real markets but play on the market metaphor when designing marketlike solutions for public purposes. Third, it was shown that the neoliberal play on the market metaphor enabled the ar...

De euro was bedoeld om verdergaande Europese integratie te bewerkstelligen, maar doordat Europese regeringsleiders stelselmatig de structurele economische verschillen in Europa negeren, kon de euro zelf bijdragen aan de huidige politieke en economische crisis. Aandacht voor persistente inflatieverschillen en de ontwrichtende werking van de euro zelf is nodig.

Recent protests at the University of Amsterdam, and the many other protests that are taking place at universities worldwide, are best interpreted as a revolt against the creeping neoliberalization of academia. Calls of students and faculty for a New University should be read as brave attempts to labor for a genuinely post-neoliberal university. This paper seeks to offer a brief reflection on some of the difficulties and (im)possibilities one encounters when struggling for a post-neoliberal university. I will point out that even though the current protests highlight a number of global features of the neoliberalization of the university, one should also acknowledge its distinctively Dutch characteristics. I will offer some arguments as to why the post-neoliberal university is so hard to conceive and I will conclude by offering what I think is a necessary strategic supplement to the current protests, which is that students and faculty should now become complicit in building the new, post-neoliberal university to come.

This article surveys 10 introductory economics textbooks to examine whether and how economics contributed to the rise of neoliberalism. It defines neoliberalism as a political rationality characterized by market constructivism. In contrast with conventional liberal approaches that view limited government as legitimized by the failure of naturalist markets, neoliberalism constructs the market as norm and means of government. Economics textbooks overall have a liberal outlook, as exemplified by Samuelson's classic, however, with three liberal subgenres: the imperfect market view, the free market view, and an institutionalist view. While the introductory textbook cannot be construed as an instruction manual for neoliberalism, the article nevertheless identifies two important neoliberal moments: the discussion of market-based forms of government and the rise of a new genre of principles textbook that urges students to “think like an economist.” The article concludes with novel insights on how economics may have contributed to the spread of neoliberalism.

Page 1. Book Reviews 219 than their own to test the risk of exotic financial instruments. In addition, supervisors should publish information that can be used by the market as an anchor. The book then concludes with a strong criticism of the "transparency" argument. ...