Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Vergleichende Demokratieforschung und die Politischen Systeme Osteuropas

Thomas F. Remington: The Ordoliberalism Debate

The publication of several books in recent years dealing with the subject of ordoliberalism offers an occasion to reconsider the body of ideas associated with ordoliberalism. In this talk, I undertake two tasks: first, to clarify what the term properly refers to and in particular how it is related to 'neoliberalism', and second, to consider its relevance to the liberalizing economic policies undertaken in the United States, Russia and China since the late 1970s, including its implications for anti-trust and anti-monopoly law. I argue that much of the recent discussion of ordoliberalism and neoliberalism overlooks important differences between early ordoliberal thought and neoliberalism as it evolved over time. I believe that a better understanding of ordoliberalism can also provide insights relevant to the contemporary debates about the crisis of liberal democracy and capitalism. Does ordoliberalism in fact offer a 'third way' for ordering a market economy in democracy?

 

 

TR photo-25 feb 18.pngThomas F. Remington is Visiting Professor of Government at Harvard University. He is Goodrich C. White Professor (Emeritus) of Political Science at Emory University and a Senior Research Associate of the International Center for the Study of Institutions and Development of the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia. He is author of a number of books and articles. Among his books are Presidential Decrees in Russia: A Comparative Perspective (Cambridge University Press, 2014) and The Politics of Inequality in Russia (Cambridge University Press, 2011). His research focuses on the political sources of economic inequality in the United States, Russia, China and Germany.