Has Neoliberalism Affected American Civil Liberties? Examining the Criminal Justice System and the Welfare State

Neoliberalism once started as an economic theory but overtime has developed into an arm of state social control. This thesis asks if neoliberal economic policies have affected civil liberties in the United States and sets out to understand this relationship in several ways. Firstly, by investigating the shift from Keynesianism to market fundamentalism. Secondly, by evaluating the growth in the prison industrial complex. Third, by asking questions of growing social insecurity from an increasingly privatized social safety net. This thesis explored four hypotheses, each one finding support. The overall argument is that the economic sphere and the free market has obstructed the social sphere. Finally, the thesis concludes with a brief discussion of toxic individualism as it relates to socialization after a long period of extreme market privatization.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Political Science

Department dc:contributor.department

Political Science

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2021

Author dc:creator

• Berlinghoff, Maddison Brooke Kapua'Ena

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Apodaca, Clair

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Pula, Besnik
• Caraccioli, Mauro J.

• Neoliberalism
• Criminal Justice
• Welfare
• Social Services
• Mass Incarceration
• Political Economy

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:30375

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/103623