The Neoliberal Turn in International Law | IEL Episode 4 - Part A

Dr Mohsen al Attar

What is neoliberalism? David Harvey provides a simple treatise on the ideology: the introduction of competitive market forces into historically non-market spheres. Since the days of democratic capitalism, healthcare, education, electricity, and water provision were the purview of public actors. This made sense. As necessities of life, these would be allocated universally rather than preferentially. Neoliberalism reject this logic, advocating for the subjugation of essential services to market logics of efficiency, competitiveness, and purchase-power based allocation. Of course, the promise was not that the rich would line their pockets but that the increased competitiveness would enhance efficiency and place downward pressure on prices. Public assets were sold, public services were privatised, and taxes were slashed all in the name of public welfare. Even Orwell was never so brazen. In the following episode, I detail the rise of neoliberalism and its implications for the international economic law framework.