Identity, identity politics, and neoliberalism

With the intensification of neoliberalism, it is useful to examine how some individuals might cope with the irrationality of the system. Neoliberalism cloaks the execution of the corporate agenda behind rhetorical manipulation that advocates for limited government. The corollary absence of government involvement on behalf of the citizenry writ large disarms the means of social redress for the individual. Democracy funded and fueled by corporate power thereby disenfranchises the individual, provoking some to search for empowerment through identity politics. The argument set forth suggests that individuals construct, reinforce, or escalate allegiance to identities as a coping mechanism, some of which manifest in violent identity politics

Unveiling and deconstructing the enabling myths of neoliberalism through immanent critique

In the deconstruction of the neoliberal narrative through immanent critique, we find that it is woven from enabling myths that not only support the neoliberal project, but are essential for its continued survival. This research aims to untangle and critically assess three of the core enabling myths of neoliberalism through the critical lens of immanent critique. If we hope to redesign our social institutions into structures which support the flourishing of individuals and the broader society, then we must aim a critical eye toward these enabling myths to unveil and debunk through immanent critique. © 2014, Journal of Economic Issues / Association for Evolutionary Economics

Agency, identity, and the great crisis: A veblenian perspective

Within neoliberalism, an individual's agency and identity are fundamentally different than at any other stage in human development. The argument set forth is that within neoliberalism, agency and identity are, respectively, falsified and fluid, which further supports the intensification of the neoliberal project. When studied through the Veblenian lens, the role played by the habituating tools of commodity fetishism, conspicuous consumption, and moral panics become clear, demonstrating that while fundamentally different, neoliberal agency and identity emerge from previously established habits of thought. © 2012, Journal of Economic Issues/Association for Evolutionary Economics

Neoliberalism, Polanyi’s protective response, and Veblenian waste

As capitalism unfolds, continual technological advance in combination with the relentless accumulation imperative serves to amplify material progress. The expanding economic sphere begins to pervade the everyday lives and thinking of the individual. The institutionalization of the market fundamentally changes the structure of society and in so doing, fundamentally changes the institutional structure through which individuals are socialized. The social dislocation generated therein, prompts Polanyi’s protective response. Despite this market intensification, the existence of the economic surplus undermines the syllogistics of market determined pricing. Evidence of the economic surplus and Veblenian waste and furthermore, that the competitive law of value is not operable under neoliberalism is found in the lobby industry and campaign contributions. This research seeks to connect explicitly the concepts of Polanyi’s protective response with Veblenian waste and the economic surplus in order to better understand how the irrational system of neoliberalism continues to evolve

The Social Ontology of Fear and Neoliberalism

Fear is a primal instinct; it is a survival mechanism the evolution of which allowed the early humans, indeed all species to adapt, evolve, and survive. When humans moved into settled communities with more advanced means of production, the nature of fear-much like the nature of social relationships-changed. Once the means of social reproduction were secured, fear became less necessary as a survival instinct and more useful as a heuristic device. Fear evolved. Fear cannot be characterized solely as a socially constructed phenomenon, nor as the instinctual response to personally felt traumas. The growth and nature of fear must be studied as a process that develops under its own inertia, feeding off its antecedent past, and as a phenomenon that is shaped by and in turn shapes its institutional setting. Fear should be understood as both structurally determined and socially transformative. This research seeks to examine the ontology of fear, specifically as it relates to neoliberalism. © 2014 © 2014 The Association for Social Economics

Agency and neoliberalism

© The Author 2014. The intensification of neoliberalism requires institutions and mental models that are not only complementary, but also interactively reinforcing. Since an individual's agency is the product of her mental models, it stands to reason that agency within neoliberalism must bear certain ethnographic markers necessary to sustain the system. The argument set forth is that agency within the specific context of neoliberalism requires tailored cultural mechanisms and artefacts to construct and support a self-referential yet non-authentic agency

Envy in neoliberalism: Revisiting Veblen's emulation and invidious distinction

© 2015, Journal of Economic Issues / Association for Evolutionary Economics. Cautionary tales admonishing against the evils of envy crowd religion and folklore across cultures. Pre-capitalist societies attempted to suppress envy, and familial and community relations held the emotion of envy in check through social sanctions. Capitalism, however, encourages envy. The connection between capitalism and envy is not new. Thorstein Veblen (2007) methodically addressed it in his explanation of invidious distinction and emulation. As capitalism has evolved into its present incarnation of neoliberalism, however, envy has also evolved. The evolution, nature, and role of envy within neoliberalism must be studied in order to understand more fully its consequences. This research seeks to examine the social ontology of envy. According to advocates of neoliberalism, inequality serves an important social function: It is the great motivator, without which individuals would not have incentives to improve. Inequality and - by extension - envy are thus heralded as the prime catalysts of economic activity

Immanent Critique, Enabling Myths, and the Neoliberal Narrative

© 2015, © 2015 Union for Radical Political Economics. This research aims to untangle and critically assess the core enabling myths of neoliberalism. The first step is to outline in brief the method of immanent critique, how it works, as well as its advantages and possible limits. The next step is to use immanent critique to strip the neoliberal narrative to its core, organizing myths: the myths of privatization, deregulation, and retrenchment of the welfare state

The pathology of care

This research explores two conflicting ethical systems. Neoliberalism’s foundations support an overarching ethic of individual autonomy and individual responsibility. Institutionalism contrasts this conception with a view of human beings as relational. The ethical foundation of such a view requires a meta-ethic of interpersonal responsibility that supports an ethic of care

The North Dakota Experience: Achieving High-Performance Health Care Through Rural Innovation and Cooperation

Explores how North Dakota has met the healthcare challenges of rural communities with support for primary care and the idea of a medical home, organization of care through coordination and cooperation networks, and the innovative use of technology