The consumer, credit and neoliberalism : governing the modern economy / / Christopher Payne

• Autore: Payne Christopher
• Pubblicazione: Abingdon, Oxon ; ; New York, : Routledge, 2012
• Edizione: 1st ed.
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (248 p.)
• Disciplina: 330.941
• Soggetto topico: Neoliberalism - Great Britain
• Soggetto geografico: Great Britain Economic policy 1997-; Great Britain Economic conditions 1997-
• Note generali: Description based upon print version of record.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references (p. [207]-221) and index.; Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Front Cover; The Consumer, Credit and Neoliberalism; Copyright Page; Contents; List of Figures and table; Preface and acknowledgements; 1. Introduction: Neoliberalism and governmentality; 1.1 Neoliberalism and the consumer; 1.2 Governmentality as method; 1.3 The cast of characters; 1.4 Chapter outline; 2. Constructing the consumer; 2.1 Economics and progressive liberalism before the Great Depression; 2.2 Keynes, the macro problem and the social world; 2.3 Problematizing worker-savers 'making up' the consumer; 2.4 Concluding remarks; 3. Diagnosing the British economy ; 3.1 Problematizing Keynesianism3.2 Towards a genealogy of crisis; 3.3 Neoliberalism and social evolution; 4. How to govern the economy; 4.1 From Preston to Stockton: 'monetarism is not enough'; 4.2 Stepping stones to the 'healthy society'; 4.3 How to govern the economy and reconstitute society; 4.4 Conclusion: inflation first; 5. Governing for the consumer; 5.1 'The quiet revolution'; 5.2 Freedom for the consumer; 5.3 The first crisis of neoliberal governmentality; 6. Misidentification and crisis; 6.1 Reasserting the social?; 6.2 Revamping monetary policy; 6.3 Practising New Keynesianism ; 6.4 The crisis of neoliberal governmentality7. The American sub-prime homeowner consumer; 7.1 The politics of home ownership; 7.2 Financial innovation, debt and home ownership; 7.3 Blaming government, not bankers; 7.4 Relying on others: setting the limits of possibility for neoliberalism; 8. Conclusion: Problematizing the consumer; 8.1 Capitalism and governmentality; Notes; Bibliography; Index
• Sommario/riassunto: "This book is an investigation into the economic policy formulation and practice of neoliberalism in Britain from the 1950s through to the financial crisis and economic downturn that began in 2007-8. It demonstrates that influential economists, such as F.A. Hayek and Milton Friedman, authors at key British think tanks such as the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Centre for Policy Studies, and important political figures of the Thatcher and New Labour governments shared a similar conception of the consumer. For neoliberals, the idea that consumers were weak in the face of businesses and large corporations was almost offensive. Instead, consumers were imagined to be sovereign agents in the economy, whose consumption decisions played a central role in the construction of their human capital and in the enabling of their aspirations. Consumption, just like production, came to be viewed as an enterprising and entrepreneurial activity. Consequently, from the early 1980s until the present day, it was felt necessary that banks should have the freedom to meet the borrowing needs of consumers. Credit rationing would be a thing of the past. Just like businesses, consumers and households could use debt to expand their stock of personal assets. By utilizing the method of French philosopher Michel Foucault this book provides an original analysis of the policy ideas and political speeches of key figures in the New Right, in government and at the Bank of England. And it addresses the key question as to why policy-makers both in Britain and the United States did little or nothing to stem rising consumer and household indebtedness, instead always choosing to see increasing house prices and homeownership as a positive to be encouraged"--
• Titolo autorizzato: The consumer, credit and neoliberalism
• ISBN: 1-136-49355-7; 1-283-52100-8; 9786613833457; 0-203-13906-2; 1-136-49356-5
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Record Nr.: 9910824579603321
• Lo trovi qui: Univ. Federico II
• Serie: Routledge frontiers of political economy ; ; 152.