1st Edition

Neoliberalism and Unequal Development Alternatives and Transitions in Europe, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa

    264 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    264 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Since the 1970s, neoliberalism has evolved from ideology to political programme, from political programme to public policy, and from public policy to constitutional rule. This process of change has been made possible through the endorsement of an uncritical, a-historical, and apolitical economic theory that legitimized technocratic despotism, financial deregulation, precarious labour, and constitutional-political emptying.

    This book examines critical perspectives in mainstream neoliberal development analysis. It examines the neoliberal experiment as a global historical construct through the cases of Africa, Latin America, and Europe. The analysis begins in 1980 with the Structural Adjustment Plans in Latin America and Africa, followed in 1990 by Maastricht in the case of Europe and the euphoric shift that took place, typified by the "Africa Rising" narrative, which attempts to promote the idea of an economically emerging continent. It also considers the weakness of the state resulting from neo-liberal austerity and fiscal stabilization policies, which have amplified the inability to collectively deal with the social, economic, and political impact of the COVID-19 crisis. One of the key features of the book is the extensive comparative analysis between regions, using case studies, including examples from African countries.

    The authors connect the different regional perspectives, included in the book, in a clear and coherent way, such that it will appeal to students and scholars interested in the social, economic, and political outcomes of globalization and will also be of interest to official development agencies and third sector organizations in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe.

    Prologue: Neoliberalism or Neoliberalisms? Ideology, Governmentality and Real World "Experiments" Fernando López Castellano, Carmen Lizárraga and Roser Manzanera Ruíz Part One - Neoliberal policies Section 1. Sub-Saharan Africa 1. The structural adjustment programme and a new political order. Mbuyi Kabunda Badi 2 The neoliberal narrative of growth in Africa: the Afro-optimistic discourse. Demba Moussa Dembele 3. Neoliberal programmes in Africa south of the Sahara: Gender-blindness and development "laundering". Soledad Vieitez & Teresa Cunha Section 2. Latin America 4. Globalization as a 'simulation' of development: beyond the Washington Consensus in Latin America. Maria del Carmen Villarreal Villamar & Enara Echart Munoz 5. The new imperialism beyond conquest: free markets, democracy, and social protest. Cristina Zurrbrigen & Alexandra Lizbona 6. Deterritorialization of the local: The role of gender in the case of the state of Puebla (Mexico). Rosa M. Soriano, Antonio Trinidad Requena, Marlene Solis & Federico López Capra Section 3. Europe 7. Tales of passage from the North to the South and back: Constitutionalizing (European) neoliberalism. Dieter Plehwe & Karin Fischer 8. The euro system as a laboratory for neoliberalism and colonialism. Antoni Aguilo 9. A decade of austerity politics and neoliberal reform: Overview of the Greek financial crisis (2010-2020). Maria Markantonatou Part Two - Post-development, alternatives to development and transitions 10. Moving from postcolonial critiques of development towards alternatives to development in Africa. Sally Matthews 11. At the Razor’s Edge of Democracy: Authoritarian Capitalism and Decolonial International Feminisms. Macarena Gómez-Barris 12. Europe and the economic "lessons" of COVID-19: ecofeminism and development alternatives. Lina Gálvez & Astrid Agenjo Epilogue Fernando López Castellano and Alberto Ruíz Villaverde

    Biography

    Fernando López Castellano is Professor of Applied Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Granada, Spain.

    Carmen Lizárraga is Professor of Applied Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Granada, Spain.

    Roser Manzanera Ruiz is Professor in the Department of Sociology of University of Granada, Spain. Institute for Women and Gender Studies, University of Granada, Spain.