battle-of-ideas
The long-term strategic effort by neoliberals to change elite opinion and political common sense to enable neoliberal policies to gain acceptance.
1 chapter across 1 book
Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work (2015)Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams
Chapter 3 examines the rise and consolidation of neoliberalism as a hegemonic ideology, emphasizing that its dominance was not inevitable but the result of a deliberate political project. The chapter traces neoliberalism's origins from marginal intellectual movements and highlights the strategic creation of a transnational infrastructure, particularly through the Mont Pelerin Society, which aimed to reshape elite opinion and political common sense. It also clarifies neoliberalism's distinct role for the state in actively constructing and sustaining markets, challenging the misconception that it advocates for minimal state intervention.