Thursday, February 28, 2013

April 5 at Wright State

Click on image to enlarge.

5 comments:

Les Groby said...

Looks like a new bogeyman has been invented.

Taki said...

We appreciate your comment. However, it must be emphasized that neoliberalism is reality and by no means new.

It is understood that neoliberalism has the following main features: [1] de-regulation of business and finance to allow the “free market” to rule; [2] privatization of many public services like electricity or water; [3] the renunciation of what is called discretionary fiscal policy, which had been aimed at moderating the business cycle and keeping unemployment relatively low; [4] sharp reductions
in state social spending; [5] reduction of taxes on business and wealthy individuals; [6] an attack by big business and the political leadership of both parties on trade unions at the national level; [7] a shift in the workplace away from reliance on long-term employees to increasing use of temporary and part-time workers; [8] the introduction of market principles inside large corporations, including a shift from choosing the CEO from
among career employees of the firm to hiring from the outside in a market for CEOs.

Over time the above set of institutions gave rise to three important developments which together promoted a series of long economic expansions but also contained the seeds of crisis.

These three developments are the following: [1] growing inequality, between wages and profits, and within society as a whole among households; [2] a financial sector that became increasingly absorbed in speculative and risky activities; and [3] a series of large asset bubbles.

I hope this clarifies matters at least somewhat.

Taki said...

We appreciate your comment. However, I must be emphasized that neoliberalism is reality and by no means new. It began in the early 1970s and it is understood that neoliberalism has the following main features.

[1] de-regulation of business and finance to allow the “free market” to rule; [2] privatization of many public services like electricity or water; [3] the renunciation of what is called discretionary fiscal policy, which had been aimed at moderating the business cycle and keeping unemployment relatively low; [4] sharp reductions in state social spending; [5] reduction of taxes on business and wealthy individuals; [6] an attack by big business and the political leadership of both parties on trade unions at the national level; [7] a shift in the workplace away from reliance on long-term employees to increasing use of temporary and part-time workers; [8] the introduction of market principles inside large corporations, including a shift from choosing the CEO from among career employees of the firm to hiring from the outside in a market for CEOs.

Over time the above set of institutions gave rise to three important developments which together promoted a series of long economic expansions but also contained the seeds of crisis.

These three developments are the following:

[1] growing inequality, between wages and profits, and within society as a whole among households; [2] a financial sector that became increasingly absorbed in speculative and risky activities; and [3] a series of large asset bubbles.

I hope this clarifies matters at least somewhat.

Les Groby said...

@Taki—
Thank you for confirming my suspicion with that steaming pile of clarification.

Taki said...

You are quite welcome, Les. I always take pleasure in attempting to disabuse an ignoramus.