Neoliberalism Essay

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Brittany Wilson May 1, 2012 IB HL History of the Americas The Effects of Neoliberalism On Society The term ‘neoliberalism’ has bred many meanings and has propagated several political, social and economic connotations; its definition and implications will vary from person to person, country to country. Neoliberalism in its subtlest definition is an economic arrangement that is intended to ease the boundaries and restrictions that limit global trade. The simplistic deconstruction of the word itself leaves a vacuum for subjectivity. The root ‘neo’ translates to new and liberalism’s generic essence is openness, meaning that neoliberalism is new openness. This can mean one of two things; it can either mean that neoliberalism is a revived version of a dormant openness or it can mean a new model of openness altogether. This is where the views of neoliberalism begin to diverge. However, in my view, time has attested to the fact that neoliberalism is only beneficial to people and countries who control it and are therefore not subject to its unsustainable prerequisites. It cannot be denied that neoliberalism defies the very dogma proclaims. Neoliberalism contravenes equality by creating a divide in society. It does however achieve equality in the form of indiscrimination, which works to the detriment of women and children particularly. Neoliberalism is based on the assumption that a free market is the most efficient route to economic prosperity. Owing to the error in this assumption, the implementation of a free market economy has affected countries not only economically, but socio-politically as well. The free market economy is not suited to the society; society must shift to accommodate this mold. Thus, neoliberalism has come to mean a global societal change. Many argue that neoliberalism is the new proliferating
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