Politics and Gender

Question 1

Q1: Four Ways Neoliberalism Has Been Analyzed

Answer 1

• An Intellectual Project
• A Political Project
• Scalar Transformation of the State
• Transformation of the Modern Citizen and the Neoliberal Soul

Question 2

Q1: Neoliberalism as an Intellectual Project: Origin and Key Figures

Answer 2

Neoliberalism started as a set of ideas from a group of economists in Central Europe, such as Friedrich Hayek and Ludwig von Mises, around the time the Austro-Hungarian Empire was ending. They were worried about how nationalism (putting one’s own country first) was harming free trade (trade without barriers like tariffs).

Question 3

Q1: Neoliberalism as an Intellectual Project: Core Ideas

Answer 3

They believed the best economic system was one where markets (places where goods are bought and sold) were free from government interference. To achieve this, they wanted to create global rules and institutions (like the IMF and World Bank) that could oversee and protect these free markets.

Question 4

Q1: Neoliberalism as a Political Project: Thatcherism

Answer 4

In the UK, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher from 1979 to 1990 promoted policies that became known as “Thatcherism.” This was part of the broader neoliberal agenda. Thatcher believed in reducing the role of government in people’s lives, selling off public companies, and cutting down welfare (government help for people in need).

Question 5

Q1: Neoliberalism as a Political Project: Self-Reliance

Answer 5

Thatcher’s famous idea was that people should rely on themselves, not the government. However, while she talked about reducing government, her policies led to more government control in some areas, like increased police power and stricter law enforcement.

Question 6

Q1: Scalar Transformation of the State - Changing Roles

Answer 6

Neoliberalism changed how different levels of government worked. While national governments took more control over things like law enforcement (more police and stricter laws), they passed down responsibilities like economic development and welfare (helping people in need) to local governments (like cities and towns).

Question 7

Q1: Scalar Transformation of the State - Local Competition

Answer 7

This meant local governments had to compete with each other to attract businesses and investments. For example, a city like Vienna might have to compete with another city like Graz to get a company to build a factory there.

Question 8

Q1: Transformation of the Modern Citizen and the Neoliberal Soul: Self-Responsibility

Answer 8

Neoliberalism changes how people see themselves and their role in society. It promotes the idea that each person is responsible for their own success or failure. If someone succeeds, it’s because they worked hard. If they fail, it’s seen as their own fault.

Question 9

Q1: Transformation of the Modern Citizen and the Neoliberal Soul: Government’s New Role

Answer 9

Instead of helping people directly, the government’s role is to help people help themselves. For example, instead of just giving unemployment benefits, the government might require people to prove they are looking for work or doing training.

Question 10

Q1: Paradox in Neoliberalism:
The Small Government vs. Authoritarianism Paradox

Answer 10

• Small Government Rhetoric: Neoliberalism talks about having a smaller government, meaning less government involvement in the economy and in people’s lives. This includes selling off public services and cutting welfare programs.
• Authoritarian Reality: Despite this talk, neoliberal governments often end up increasing control in other ways. For instance, they might increase police forces, impose stricter laws, and reduce the power of democratic institutions (like bypassing parliament to make decisions). This creates a paradox: the government is supposed to be smaller, but in some ways, it becomes more controlling.

Question 11

Q1: Summary

Answer 11

• Neoliberalism is a complex set of ideas and practices that promote free markets, reduced government intervention, and individual responsibility.
• Intellectually, it started with European economists who wanted global free trade without barriers.
• Politically, it was adopted by leaders like Margaret Thatcher, who reduced welfare but increased police powers.
• State Governance changed, with local governments competing for business and investment while national governments centralized control over law enforcement.
• Citizens are expected to take care of themselves and be competitive, with less direct help from the government.
• The Paradox is that while neoliberalism promotes the idea of less government intervention, it often leads to more government control in terms of law enforcement and reduced democratic processes.

Question 12

Q2: Nancy Fraser’s Idea of Progressive Neoliberalism

Answer 12

Nancy Fraser talks about a type of neoliberalism that supports modern values like diversity, fairness based on merit, and freedom while simultaneously cutting back on social safety nets. This kind of neoliberalism seems progressive but actually reduces government support for welfare and public services.

Question 13

Q2: How Progressive Neoliberalism Creates a Care Crisis: Cutting Social Safety Nets

Answer 13

• Governments spend less on welfare programs, healthcare, childcare, and education.
• This leaves fewer resources for people who need help with caring for children, the elderly, or the sick.
• Families and individuals have to take on more responsibility for care without enough support.

Question 14

Q2: How Progressive Neoliberalism Creates a Care Crisis: Turning Care into a Business

Answer 14

• Care services (like childcare and eldercare) become things you have to buy.
• If you can’t afford these services, you don’t get good care.
• This creates inequality because only wealthier people can afford quality care.

Question 15

Q2: How Progressive Neoliberalism Creates a Care Crisis: More burden on women

Answer 15

• Traditionally, women have been the main caregivers at home.
• With less government support, women have to do even more unpaid care work.
• This limits their ability to work for pay and pursue their own goals.

Question 16

Q2: How Progressive Neoliberalism Creates a Care Crisis: Pressure to work more

Answer 16

• The focus on merit and individual success means people are encouraged to work longer hours.
• This leaves less time for unpaid care work at home.
• Families struggle to balance work and caregiving, leading to stress and burnout.

Question 17

Q2: Sarah Farris: How Female Migrants Are Seen as a Solution

Answer 17

1. High Demand for Care Workers:
   
   • With less government support and more privatized care, there’s a big need for affordable care workers.
   • Female migrants often take these low-paid care jobs (like nannies, eldercare workers, and cleaners).
2. Low-Paid and Precarious Jobs:
   
   • Migrant women often work in low-paid, insecure jobs without proper rights and protections.
   • These jobs are crucial but not valued as they should be, showing broader social inequalities.
3. Dependence on Migrant Labor:
   
   • Countries like Austria rely on migrant women to fill care jobs.
   • This allows these countries to appear progressive while ignoring deeper problems in how care is provided.
4. Shifting Responsibility:
   
   • Progressive neoliberalism shifts the burden of care from the state to individuals and the market.
   • Migrant women are seen as an easy solution to fill the gap in care work, covering up the failures of the system.

Question 18

Q2: Simple Breakdown from the PowerPoints

Answer 18

1. Neoliberal “Care Fixes”:
   
   • Care work is split into paid services for those who can afford it and unpaid work for those who can’t.
   • This results in public disinvestment, meaning less government funding for care services.
2. Care Extractivism:
   
   • Middle-class women entering the workforce create gaps in home care, which are filled by poorer, often migrant women.
   • This is similar to extracting natural resources, as it uses the labor of these women to support society without fair compensation.
3. Economization of Care:
   
   • Care services are turned into businesses focused on efficiency and profit.
   • This approach conflicts with the genuine needs of care, leading to a crisis with increased social inequality and stress.
4. Transnationalization of Care:
   
   • Middle-class families in wealthier countries rely on care workers from poorer countries.
   • This creates global care chains, where care work is transferred from one part of the world to another.

Question 19

Q2: Femonationalism & Migrant Care Workers

Answer 19

Femonationalism Explained:
- Right-wing and some feminist groups use feminist ideas to support anti-migration and anti-Islam agendas.
- They portray Muslim women as oppressed and in need of saving through work and integration into Western society.
- This narrative justifies the use of migrant women for low-paid care work.

Migrant Care Workers:
- Female migrants in Europe and Austria are essential for filling care gaps left by reduced welfare support.
- They are not seen as job stealers but as crucial workers for the care economy.
- Their work is vital but undervalued and often insecure.

Question 20

Q2: Summary

Answer 20

• Progressive neoliberalism supports modern values but cuts back on social services, creating a care crisis
• Care crisis means families have to do more care work without enough support, especially affecting women
• Female migrants are seen as a solution to this crisis, doing low-paid care work in wealthier countries.
• This system exploits migrant women and hides the bigger problem of inadequate social support.

Question 21

Q3: What Does It Mean That Illiberalism is Not Anti-Liberal?

Answer 21

1. Contextual Reaction:
   
   • Not Total Rejection: Illiberalism doesn’t reject everything about liberalism. Instead, it critiques and pushes back against certain parts of it.
   • Selective Acceptance: While illiberalism doesn’t center on liberal values like individual freedom, it doesn’t completely abandon them either. It prefers to emphasize national identity and collective values.
2. Post-Liberal Ideology:
   
   • Experience-Based Reaction: Illiberalism emerges in societies that have experienced liberalism and now feel disillusioned by it. It’s a reaction to what people see as the failures of liberalism

Question 22

Q3: Core Features of Illiberal Ideologies

Answer 22

• Majoritarian and National-Centric Solutions
• Reaction Against Liberal Values
• Emphasis on Traditional Hierarchie
• Sense of Rootedness

Question 23

Q3: Core Features of Illiberal Ideologies: Majoritarian and National-Centric Solutions

Answer 23

• Majority Rule: Illiberalism focuses on what benefits the majority of people, often at the expense of minority rights.
• National Sovereignty: It emphasizes the importance of having strong, independent nations that don’t rely on international organizations.
• Unified Culture: Illiberalism promotes a single, unified national culture instead of embracing multiculturalism and diversity.

Question 24

Q3: Core Features of Illiberal Ideologies: Reaction Against Liberal Values

Answer 24

• Political Liberalism: Illiberalism is skeptical of the liberal focus on individual rights and protections for minorities, preferring collective identity.
• Economic Liberalism: It criticizes free-market policies and prefers more state control and protectionism to support the national economy.
• Cultural Liberalism: Illiberalism opposes liberal acceptance of cultural, sexual, and racial diversity, favoring traditional values.
• Geopolitical Liberalism: It resists the global liberal order and promotes national pride and sovereignty.
• Liberal Self-Critique: Illiberalism pushes back against liberalism’s critical view of its own colonial and imperial past.

Question 25

Q3: Core Features of Illiberal Ideologies: Emphasis on Traditional Hierarchie

Answer 25

• Traditional Social Structures: Illiberalism supports traditional social hierarchies, such as those based on gender and class.
• Gender Roles: It promotes traditional gender roles, often emphasizing family and motherhood while resisting modern gender equality movements.

Question 26

Q3: Core Features of Illiberal Ideologies: Sense of Rootedness

Answer 26

• Against Globalization: Illiberalism favors national identity and resists the global interconnectedness promoted by liberalism.
• Resisting Migration: It often opposes large-scale migration, advocating for policies that encourage higher birth rates among the native population instead.

Question 27

Q3: Summary

Answer 27

1. Illiberalism Reacts to Liberalism: It critiques and reacts against certain parts of liberalism without completely rejecting it.
2. Core Features:
   • Majority Rule: Focuses on what benefits the majority.
   • National Sovereignty: Emphasizes strong, independent nations.
   • Unified Culture: Promotes a single national culture.
   • Traditional Values: Supports traditional social structures and gender roles.
   • Against Globalization: Favors national identity and resists global interconnectedness.

By understanding these points, you can see how illiberalism operates as a reaction to liberalism, emphasizing national identity, majority rule, traditional values, and sovereignty.