Keynesianism

Political Philosophy – Neoliberalism

In this course, Dr Matt Dawson (University of Glasgow) explores the concept of neoliberalism in political philosophy and government policy up to the present day. In the first module, we put neoliberalism in context by first discussing its predecessor, Keynesianism, before turning in the second module to discuss the origins of neoliberalism and the work of theorists such as Friedrich Hayek and Milton Freedman. In the third module, we discuss what neoliberalism has to say about the state and the economy, before turning in the fourth module to discuss what neoliberalism has to say about individuals. In the fifth module, we discuss how neoliberalism was practically implemented by governments in the US and the UK, differentiating between the vanguard neoliberalism of 1979-92 and the social neoliberalism of 1992-2007. In the sixth module, we explore a series of critiques of the neoliberal project. Then, in the seventh and final module, we discuss whether we have now moved away from neoliberalism, drawing on a series of recent complicating events (including the economic crisis of 2008, the election of populist governments such as that led by Donald Trump in America and the COVID-19 pandemic) to inform our discussion. This course is particularly relevant to students interested in the US Politics, UK Politics, and Core Political Ideas sections of the AQA and Edexcel A Level Politics specifications.

Keynesianism

In this module we put neoliberalism in context by first discussing its predecessor, Keynesianism, focusing in particular on: (i) the historical context for Keynesianism; (ii) the key ideas and objectives of Keynesianism; (iii) the reasons for the loss of faith in Keynesianism and the post-war consensus during the 1970s; (iv) the move to neoliberalism in the late 1970s and early 1980s.