Introduction

Much ink has been spilt on the theme of neoliberalism. As one reviewer of a recent volume on the topic noted: ‘if arguments were won on the basis of tonnage, free-market philosophies would have fallen long ago under a weight of words’ (Birch 2015: 330). This introduction, by way of a justification for adding to this weight of words, will seek to locate our arguments and aims within the extensive – and ongoing – literature and debate.