The Who of Power?

^†Presented at the VI Australian International Political Economy Network (AIPEN) Conference, University of Wollongong (2–3 February 2015).

Abstract

How is the causative role of ideas appreciated in understanding the political economy of neoliberalism? What are the origin stories of neoliberalism and how are these related to the periodisation of capitalism? Is there a role for an explicit normative perspective in critiquing neoliberalism as a set of class relations? These broad questions are raised in this feature review, which looks at the latest work on the durability of embedded neoliberalism. It does so by highlighting the importance of revealing and critiquing ideas-centred assumptions within political economy in order to offer an alternative stance on the class relations, institutions, and ideology of present-day capitalism. As a consequence, reflecting further on the who of power remains an enduring challenge for political economy.

Keywords:

• capitalism
• class
• ideas
• neoliberalism
• neoliberalisation

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

^† Presented at the VI Australian International Political Economy Network (AIPEN) Conference, University of Wollongong (2–3 February 2015).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Adam David Morton

Adam David Morton is Professor of Political Economy in the Department of Political Economy at the University of Sydney. His research interests include state theory, the political economy of space, historical sociology and Marxism in their relevance to modern Mexico. He is the author of Unravelling Gramsci: Hegemony and passive revolution in the global political economy (Pluto Press, 2007) and Revolution and state in modern Mexico: The political economy of uneven development (Rowman & Littlefield, Updated Edition, 2013), which was awarded the BISA International Political Economy Group (IPEG) Book Prize. He has published articles in various journals, including Antipode, Environment and Planning D, Historical Materialism, International Studies Quarterly, and Latin American Perspectives.