Beyond Defeat and Austerity ─ Disrupting (The Critical Political Economy Of) Neoliberal Europe

This book takes as its point of departure the observation that much of the critical discussion of the European political economy and the Eurozone crisis has focused upon an impending sense that solidaristic achievements built up during the first thirty years of the post-war period are being continuously unravelled.

Bailey et al argue that whilst there are clearly many reasons to lament, and be concerned about, the trajectory of change within Europe’s political economy, there are nevertheless also important developments, trends and processes which have acted to obstruct, hinder and present alternatives to this perceived trajectory of declining social solidarity. These alternatives, moreover, have tended to be obscured from view, in part as a result of the conceptual approaches adopted within the literature.Drawing from examples accross the EU, the book presents an alternative narrative and explanation for the development of Europe’s political economy and crisis, emphasising the agency of what are typically considered subordinate (and passive) actors.

By foregrounding patterns of resistance, disobedience and disruption in understanding Europe’s political economy and crisis, the book makes a significant contribution to a literature that has otherwise been more concerned to understand patterns of heightened domination, exploitation, inequality and neoliberal consolidation and will be of interest to students and scholars alike.

David J. Bailey is a Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Birmingham

Stephen Bates is a Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Birmingham

Monica Clua-Losada a Lecturer in Political Science at University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona

Nikolai Huke is a PhD candidate at Philipps-University Marburg