Towards a minimum definition of neoliberalism

Abstract

One of the most commonly used words in the social sciences is neoliberalism. The mention of this concept seems to be used indiscriminately in different spheres, without referring to something precise or, rather, avoiding a host of meanings that such a word can offer us, falling into commonplaces that point to it as something pejorative, without even stating its purposes.  In this paper, the aim is to outline a minimal definition of this notion that will be fruitful for its use in different disciplines, trying to enrich various discussions initiated by different academics. To this end, we explored the history of this concept, the vagueness in which it tends to fall into, the different developments developed by different theorists, and the historical cases that allow us to historicise this notion in order to make it operational. The scenarios used were those of Chile during the Pinochet government (1973-1990), the United States under Ronald Reagan's administration (1981-1990) and the United Kingdom under Margaret Thatcher (1979-1990). However, beyond focusing on specific policies, neoliberalism is analysed as part of a change in modes of production that has its origins in what some theorists have called globalisation or, more rigorously, Toyotism or post-industrial society.