Resilient Liberalism in Europe's Political Economy [Hardcover]

This book explains why neoliberal economic ideas have not just survived, but thrived since the 1980s - taking Europe from boom to bust.Why have neoliberal economic ideas survived and thrived since the 1980s, taking Europe from boom to bust? This groundbreaking book examines how neoliberal ideas have influenced key areas of policy and politics both in the European Union and across European countries.Why have neoliberal economic ideas survived and thrived since the 1980s, taking Europe from boom to bust? This groundbreaking book examines how neoliberal ideas have influenced key areas of policy and politics both in the European Union and across European countries.Why have neo-liberal economic ideas been so resilient since the 1980s, despite major intellectual challenges, crippling financial and political crises, and failure to deliver on their promises? Why do they repeatedly return, not only to survive but to thrive? This groundbreaking book proposes five lines of analysis to explain the dynamics of both continuity and change in neo-liberal ideas: the flexibility of neo-liberalism's core principles; the gaps between neo-liberal rhetoric and reality; the strength of neo-liberal discourse in debates; the power of interests in the strategic use of ideas; and the force of institutions in the embedding of neo-liberal ideas. The book's highly distinguished group of authors shows how these possible explanations apply across the most important domains  fiscal policy, the role of the state, welfare and labour markets, regulation of competition and financial markets, management of the Euro, and corporate governance  in the European Union and across European countries.Preface; 1. Theorizing ideational continuity: the resilience of neo-liberal ideas in Europe Vivien A. Schmidt and Mark Thatcher; Part I. Economy, State, and Society: 2. Neo-liberalism and fiscal conservatism Andrew Gamble; 3. Welfare-state transformations: from neo-liberalism to liberal neo-welfarism? Maurizio Fel“ç