Anchored in the principles of free-market economics, ‘neoliberalism’ has been associated with various political leaders from Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Bill Clinton to Tony Blair, Augusto Pinochet, and Junichiro Koizumi.
In the 1990s, neoliberalism emerged as the world’s dominant economic paradigm. However, with the dawn of the new century came a serious challenge to neoliberalism. The world economy—to neoliberalism assumptions—has been shaken to its core by a global financial crisis not seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Exploring the origins, core claims, and considerable variations of neoliberalism, this Very Short Introduction offers a concise and accessible introduction to one of the most debated ‘isms’ of our time.