The Era of Authoritarian Neoliberalism

A groundbreaking analysis of neoliberalism’s turn to authoritarianism and a bold call for fairness, justice, and equality.

We live in an era of crises. How should we address them? Many turn to experts, particularly economists or technologists. Others look to strong, authoritarian leaders, as seen in China or Russia. Some advocate a return to the nation-state, rejecting globalization and targeting immigrants. But what about democracy? Are we prepared to abandon it? This book argues that since the 1970s, neoliberalism has increasingly favored authoritarian solutions. It's time to break this cycle and strive for a more just, fair, green, and equitable planet.

ISBN: 9798888909355

Publication date: September 1, 2026

Contents
Acknowledgements

8 Introduction

9 Explaining the Key Terms: Neoliberalism, Authoritarianism, and Authoritarian Neoliberalism
 1 Neoliberalism
 2 Authoritarianism
 3 Authoritarian Neoliberalism

10 Three Varieties of Authoritarian Neoliberalism
 1 Comparing Socio-historical Types
 2 Technocracy
 3 Nationalism
 4 Authoritarianism

11 Italy and Its Technocrats
 1 Neoliberal Traditions
 2 Changes since the 1970s
 3 The 1990s: from Amato to Amato, from the Lira to the Euro
 4 The Decade of Silvio Berlusconi (2001–11)
 5 Back to Technocrats – and to Populism (2011–18)
 6 Populism, Technocracy and Nationalism’s Return (2018–)

12 Britain between Neoliberalism and Nationalism
 1 Consensus or Not Consensus?
 2 Thatcherism in Power with Thatcher and Major (1979–97)
 3 From Blair’s Neoliberals to Nationalist Neoliberals
 4 From the Great Recession to the Tories’ Return and Brexit
 5 From Brexit to Post-Brexit
 6 The Rise of National Conservatism?

13 Russia and Authoritarian Neoliberalism
 1 The Age of Shocking Reforms
 2 Primakov’s intermezzo
 3 Putin and Neoliberalism: an Ambiguous Relationship
 4 Medvedev’s Presidency: a Second intermezzo
 5 Putin’s System of Power and Neoliberalism
 6 Towards and beyond the War in Ukraine: What Future for an Increasingly Authoritarian Russia?

14 Conclusions
Bibliography
Index