PROCESSES AND EFFECTS OF POST-SOCIALIST NEOLIBERALIZATION

Abstract

Our thematic block was initially announced by the journal Studia Europaea as a special issue regarding the social effects of austerity. This title could suggest that the guest editors would have liked addressing austerity policies as a technical matter with some sorts of consequences in what regards people's social conditions and/or their capacity to act as competitive actors within the democratic capitalist regime. In order to avoid such an interpretation from the very beginning, there is a need to at least briefly highlight that our perspective and aims are shaped by a political approach towards policies. Therefore, instead of a discussion about the social effects of austerity, in this journal issue we are actually expressing our will to have a contribution to the critical analysis of how is neoliberal politics envisioning, elaborating, implementing and evaluating the (austerity) policies that are (re)enforcing the power structures of capitalism.