Reviews

A Brief History of Neoliberalism by David Harvey

sl4u's review

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challenging informative slow-paced

4.25

Would be interesting to see an update on the China chapter.

I'm not familiar with economics, so I'm sure I probably missed some of the points the author was trying to make.

arrowhead87's review

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5.0

An excellent summary of the mechanism used for upwards transfer of wealth

kwheeles's review

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4.0

Good overview of the history of the middle way - market-based liberalism. Friedman became orthodoxy in my lifetime, and had a significant spillover into the liberal side of politics and policy (Bill Clinton, for example). Good stuff.

ksinclair04's review

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4.0

i'd give this closer to 3.5 stars (WHY NO HALF STARS, GOODREADS?!?!). its a fairly accessible read, and covers some basic tenets of neoliberalism. i agree with some of the other reviewers that his analysis seems driven by an existing ideological opposition to neoliberalism, and therefore some of his claims lack some credibility. its tough to judge the quality/rigor of information that i'm getting from a book like this that doesn't clearly outline how (and why) he collected the data that support his argument(s). i do, however, come away from this book with a greater handle on what neoliberalism is and where it comes from which is, i suppose, the purpose of the book.

frankied1's review

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informative slow-paced

3.0

woolfsfahan's review

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5.0

Harvey brings out the numbers to show, definitively, how neoliberalization consolidated the waning power of the bourgeoisie. A masterpiece in economic history from one of the modern day's best Marx scholars.

andrewmull2's review

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4.0

Great little book to build an understanding of neoliberalism. It looks heavily through the lens of class politics, which I feel makes it much easier to see why decisions that are wildly unpopular are still made. It illuminates how neoliberalism has taken root in both US political parties as a tool of restoration of upper class power. It also goes extensively into how neoliberalism shapes international policy and how the US has used other countries as proving grounds for the policy. Overall, a great book for understanding today's political landscape

fjx's review

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4.0

4/5 ✰ A well-written book outlining the failings (and perhaps successes) of neoliberalization as a process from a ‘Marxist’ perspective.

bangyourvoid's review

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.25

jrlee27's review

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5.0

The Americans I know are very familiar with the words, "conservative" and "liberal" but "neoliberalism" almost universally draws a blank look. As this book makes clear, "neoliberalism" denotes something that folk should have some knowledge about because it is the neoliberals who are behind much of politics, economics and personal well-being in the U. S. and in the world. This book is essential reading.