ABSTRACT
Assocationalism, like CI, is a reworking of social democratic themes in opposition to neoliberalism, but with a deeper and more radical critique. Associationalists argue that neoliberalism is dysfunctional for a modern, knowledge-based capitalist economy: this kind of economy requires complex non-market relations between economic actors; it needs stable frameworks for productive investment; and it functions best when workers feel involved and valued rather than placed under neoliberalism’s disciplinarian sway (Costello et al., 1989; Lipietz, 1992; Hodgson, 1998). Neoliberalism has also exacerbated the social problems of contemporary society by atomising individuals and households, eroding a sense of belonging to communities, and encouraging anomie and selfishness (Bauman, 2000; Putnam, 2000; Beck, 2001). Further, associationalists criticise both neoliberalism and CI for their refusal to make the state accountable to civil society.
