just finished reading and the weak suffer what they must? by yanis varoufakis and now i'm currently working my way through a brief history of neoliberalism by david harvey
guess i'm looking for something that goes it little more in depth? or something more recent?
Killing the Host: How Financial Parasites and Debt Bondage Destroy the Global Economy by Michael Hudson is excellent, I highly recommend for a clear and in-depth look at the financial mechanisms that underpin neoliberalism, especially debt peonage and how it opens the door for enforced austerity, as well as how similar circumstances have arisen throughout pre-modern history (and always resulted in disaster).
Also read the companion book, J is for Junk Economics by Hudson
I read The Destiny of Civilization a few months ago, after reading a bunch of his articles, hearing him on podcasts, etc, and was very impressed. Wondering if you or anyone here has read this and would still recommend going back and reading some of his older work. My fear is that I've just read essentially a new edition of some of these older books, and it would be kind of repetitive.
I’ve only listened to Hudson on podcasts and Junk Exonomics was the first book I got from him. I have not finished it, but it’s really more of a beginner’s guide into understanding financial speak. If you can watch some NBC report about interest rates rising by 0.0266% and de-dollarization and understand the implications and history of it, then you can probably skip it
If you’re asking about Destiny specifically, I haven’t read it. Though his bibliography is basically on my to read list.
Not quite sure they're what you're looking for, as they're very US Centric and more about politics than economics. But, Democracy in Chains- The Deep History of the Radical Right by Nancy Maclean goes into the history of neoliberalism regarding the life and work of James Buchanan; whom she considers one of the fathers of neo-liberalism to the point he was down there helping out Pinochet in Chile after Allende got coup-ed. Eventually Buchanan meets the Koch brothers and kicks off an age of darkness in the US, which is better covered in Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right by Jane Mayer. Dark Money is less about Neoliberalism and more about the massive propaganda and activism network the Kochs and other billionaires setup.
Listen, Liberal: Or, What Ever Happened to the Party of the People? by Thomas Frank is basically the story of how neoliberalism took over the US's Democratic Party. The Kochs are lightly touched upon as they were members of the Democratic Leadership Council which helped get Bill Clinton elected.
I'd highly recommend Julie Wilson's "Neoliberalism". It's my favorite text on the subject. It's a very readable textbook that Wilson wrote for a class she created on the subject at Allegheny College.
It's primary focus is to help the student understand how Neoliberalism has impacted their own life. I personally got a lot out of it.
Heard The Divide by Jason Hickel is good about neoliberalism, from 2017.
More theory than history, but Wendy Brown’s Undoing the Demos. Maybe the rest of Brown’s work, too, but this is the one I’ve read. Covers what neoliberalism has done to schools, elections, and agriculture, among other spheres. The heavily Foucauldian chapters are optional if you want to skip them.
Imperialism in the 21st Century by John Smith
The Wealth of (Some) Nations by Zac Cope
Neocolonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism by Kwame Nkrumah
All are generally about Imperialism in the age of neoliberalism and financialization, touch on topics like the IMF and World Bank.
Also throwing out a recommendation for Necropolitics by Achille Mbebe. Not about Neoliberalism directly, but discusses how under the neoliberal regime, politics has become almost entirely about wielding control of death over vulnerable populations.
Definitely second Michael Hudson, and as I mentioned in my reply to another comment, Destiny of Civilization is one of his more recent ones that I thought was very good. Also very impressed by Radhika Desai, who does a recurring discussion series with Hudson on Geopolitical Economy Report. She has a new book out called Capitalism Coronavirus and War, which I’ve also been meaning to read. Digital version is actually free too, which is cool.
