Was ist Neoliberalismus? Geschichte, Grundüberzeugungen und Strategien des neoliberalen Denkkollektivs

Neoliberalism is a much used but frequently misunderstood term. The author tackles this gap by applying a historical and theoretical approach. She reconstructs the history of neoliberalism, its historic steps in achieving dominance and provides an insight into several theoretical approaches. On this basis, she concludes that neoliberalism is best understood as an organized ideological and political movement. The aim of the article is to contribute to a better understanding and to give a more precise definition of neoliberalism, including a clear distinction between liberalism and neoliberalism which are often considered to be the same. In the end neoliberalism is characterized as a transnationally organized, interdisciplinary movement. The representatives of the neoliberal thought collective develop a range of doctrines based on shared norms and principled beliefs undergirding a form of social rule that clearly extends economic governance. In her concluding remarks the author reflects on strategies to overcome neoliberal dominance. The origins of the formation of the neoliberal thought collective might offer some starting points in this respect.