Strong State and the Free Economy - by Werner Bonefeld (Paperback)

About the Book

An investigation into the theoretical foundations of ordoliberal thought and its historical and theoretical contexts.

Book Synopsis

An investigation into the theoretical foundations of ordoliberal thought and its historical and theoretical contexts.

Review Quotes

Werner Bonefeld has produced an indispensable guide to ordoliberal thought and its relevance to the politics of the European Union.

RATING: 88

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At a time where discussion of the EU has degenerated into opposed normative judgements regarding its desirability, Bonefeld's intervention enables a more critical perspective to be developed, one which foregrounds class struggle and the consequent necessities of state management in a society constituted through the antagonism of labour and capital.

Bonefeld provides an insightful and rigorous account of ordoliberalism by carefully revealing its integral role in rendering the European project as a stateless liberal market framework. Bonefeld's book will be of great value to those interested in understanding more about the role and nature of the state in contemporary European capitalism.

Ordoliberalism, much discussed, poorly understood. The Strong State and the Free Economy convincingly challenges common misconceptions and steps into the mindsets of the original ordoliberal thinkers to reveal the anti-democratic core of the ordoliberal utopia. The book, like no other, teases out hitherto unexplored dimensions, amongst which the importance attached to competitive labour markets - the key adjusting mechanism in the contemporary architecture of the Economic and Monetary Union.

The core paradox of Ordoliberalism is that an efficient and harmonious free market system requires a strong "market police" state imposing strict competitive rules while individuals become natural entrepreneurs-- an 'artificial' order in contrast to the 'spontaneous' order of laissez faire. In this definitive study, Werner Bonefeld demonstrates an extensive knowledge of the literature and analyzes its key tensions, contradictions, and policy implications.

This is such an important book that it would be a great shame if scholars of both ordoliberalism and European integration did not engage with it. This thoughtful and well-argued volume should indeed be mandatory reading for anyone wanting to have informed opinions about European politics or even the muchdiscussed relationship between state and economy in general.

Werner Bonefeld ...argues powerfully that neoliberalism is a political project grounded in a strong state. A free economy, he argues, is built through a state that protects itself from democratic interests and imposes an order of economic liberty on society. ... Bonefeld's historical reach and theoretical acumen clarify many obscure problems regarding neoliberalism and its development. His book is an important and timely analysis of the political form of neoliberalism, as well as a welcome contribution to the on-going crises of the present capitalist order.

Werner Bonefeld has performed a major

service in bringing these historically important authors to our attention -

helping us both to see why they have had renewed resonance, and to puzzle

over that fact - and thereby enabling us to ponder the ever problematic

relationship between context and abstraction in social science.

Werner Bonefeld's latest book is a powerful, perceptive and persuasive analysis of recent developments in contemporary political economy. Bonefeld breaks new ground in his treatment of ordoliberalism by tracing both its intellectual history and its relationship to the development of the European Union. The Strong State is an insightful, wide-ranging and incisive analysis impressive in its sweep and critique.

About the Author

Werner Bonefeld is Professor of Politics at the University of York, UK.