The gap between the Individual and the State in neoliberal doctrine

Abstract

Neoliberalism mainly revolves around the issue of individual freedom and equal opportunities. However, studies of the real expressions of neoliberal doctrine show a gap between the expected benefits of the free market and its actual effects. This essay seeks to understand these contradictions, exploring the way in which the neoliberal discourse forged a distance between the State and the individual on the premise of individual freedom. Thus, the objective is to understand how neoliberal individualist discourse drains the State’s public role and fosters structural inequality. This investigation is done through a theoretical and qualitative approach, based on literature review. The essay explores the origin of neoliberalism as an economic ideology, the theoretical and practical incompatibilities it presents, the neoliberal promotion of individualism and the consequent separation between the individual and the State. The conclusion is that the individualist and meritocratic ideology defended by neoliberalism serves the purpose of holding the individual responsible as an entrepreneur of himself instead of prioritizing government action and policy, ultimately serving private interests and accentuating socioeconomic inequality.