Organising Neoliberalism: Markets, Privatisation and Justice

This collection of essays incorporates the insight of an international group of experts to explore the impact of neoliberal ideology upon political, social and economic domains, as well as institutions such as the prison, healthcare and education systems and the voluntary sector. Examining the effects of the emergence of late-modern capitalism in the 1970s, the articles look at how the reaction against post-war Keynesian ideology manifested itself in each of these areas. This neoliberal resurgence has been characterised by competition and free markets, individual and family responsibility, and socioeconomic policies that engender social insecurity, resulting in economic freedom for the few and a strong law-and-order state for those at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Abandoning the all-encompassing, supportive attitude deemed necessary in the immediate aftermath of wartime instability, the neoliberal emphasis on individual responsibility has resulted in numerous social and moral dislocations, including harsher attitudes toward crime and punishment. The essays included in ’Organising Neoliberalism: Markets, Privatisation and Justice’ explore how neoliberal ideology permeates nearly all aspects of modern life, and produce strong arguments for resistance against it.

Philip Whitehead is a reader in criminal and social justice at Teesside University in Middlesbrough, UK. Previously he worked for the probation service for 26 years. Since the 1980s he has researched various aspects of the criminal justice system, and is the author of seven book and numerous articles.

Paul Crawshaw is assistant dean in the School of Social Sciences and Law at Teesside University in Middlesbrough, UK. He has researched social and political aspects of health and illness since the 1990s, and has published widely in these areas.