Neoliberalism and the Capitalists

Seventy years ago, in Capitalism and the Historians, Friedrich Hayek targeted what he saw as the “political legend” cultivated by economic historians about the dire consequences of capitalism for the working class. While he claimed that the poor had benefited greatly from the Industrial Revolution, he barely mentioned the capitalists themselves. Are all capitalists created equal? Are some more likely partners for the neoliberal project than others? How has the composition of the capitalist class changed over time? The historical role of capitalists themselves in the neoliberal political project is the focus of the two-day conference we are organizing at the University of Lausanne in May 2025.

While recent research has diverged over neoliberalism’s demise or its endurance, and has argued about how best to define it, there seems to be consensus about the close connection between the capitalist class and the neoliberal project. But does this imply a transhistorical elective affinity between the two? We would like to further explore the nature and the contours of this relationship. What tensions and conflicts exist between business leaders and neoliberal policy proposals? Are there differences between the CEOs of big manufacturing multinationals and venture capitalists? What is the situation in the tech industry and other sectors? How has the financing of neoliberal groups shifted since the 2007–2008 financial crisis? What coalitions exist between business and organized labor to promote neoliberal ideas? Has the turn to so-called state capitalism and the revival of protectionism, industrial policy, and geoeconomic strategy recalibrated the relationship between neoliberal ideas and capitalist practice?

We welcome contributions on a wide range of topics that adopt a historical perspective. Examples might include: fossil capitalism, antitrust, tech monopolism, political funding beyond the Koch network, trade policy and sectoral interests, oligarchs and crony capitalism, and transnational capitalist advocacy networks beyond the International Chamber of Commerce and World Economic Forum.

Please submit your proposal of no more than 400 words, including a title and a short biographical note, to: JanickMarina.Schaufelbuehl@unil.ch by 1 November 2024. Notification of acceptance will be given by 30 November 2024. Participants will be asked to submit the complete conference papers (approx. 6000-8000 words) by May 1st, 2025. The conference organizers are planning an edited volume based on a selection of revised conference papers. Travel and accommodation costs will be supported (especially for early career scholars or scholars from the Global South); scholars with access to institutional or grant funds to support research travel will be asked to consider these sources first.

Conference Organizers: Dieter Plehwe (WZB Berlin Social Science Center), Janick Marina Schaufelbuehl (University of Lausanne), Quinn Slobodian (Boston University).