The Relationship between Neoliberalism and Democracy
This research project critically evaluates the claim that neoliberalism is anti-democratic and offers a more nuanced account of the relationship between neoliberalism and democracy. In doing so it develops and compares the genealogies of both neoliberalism and democracy in order to arrive at an understanding of the distinct and specific effect neoliberalisation has had on democracy. When taken together, the genealogies of neoliberalism and democracy reveal that the effect neoliberalism has on democracy fits within the broader trajectory of liberal democracy, but that neoliberalism’s distinct novelty lies in its radical reevaluation of the principle of (popular) sovereignty. This project, then, offers a renewed understanding of the present state of democracy, which is crucial for any attempt at finding new ways of thinking and practicing democracy.
