Abstract
This article examines neoliberalism through the lens of Michel Foucault’s concept of governmentality, tracing the genealogy of neoliberal rationalities from their origins in German ordoliberalism and American Chicago School economics to their contemporary manifestations in governance practices worldwide. Rather than treating neoliberalism as a coherent ideology, the analysis reveals it as a complex assemblage of governmental technologies and rationalities.
Key Findings
The Foucauldian approach to neoliberalism reveals several important dimensions often obscured by conventional political economy analyses:
- Neoliberalism is not simply about “less government” but about governing differently — through market mechanisms, competition, and entrepreneurial subjectivity
- The distinction between German ordoliberalism and American neoliberalism reveals fundamentally different relationships between state and market
- Foucault’s lectures at the Collège de France provide a nuanced framework for understanding how neoliberal rationalities operate at the level of individual conduct
- Contemporary governance increasingly relies on “governing at a distance” through benchmarks, audits, and performance metrics
Theoretical Framework
Drawing primarily on Foucault’s 1978-79 lecture series “The Birth of Biopolitics,” the article develops a genealogical account of neoliberal governmentality. This approach treats neoliberalism not as an economic theory to be accepted or rejected but as a historically contingent mode of governing that produces particular forms of subjectivity and social organisation.
Implications
The governmentality perspective offers critical tools for understanding how neoliberal rationalities have penetrated domains traditionally governed by non-market logics, including education, healthcare, and social welfare. The article contributes to ongoing debates about the nature and limits of neoliberal governance in the 21st century, suggesting that effective critique requires engaging with neoliberalism’s productive dimensions, not merely its restrictive ones.