The morals of the market: human rights and the rise of neoliberalism

The world and all the social, political and productive relations contained in it have drastically changed with the rise of neo-liberalism. The speed of change is increasing at a vertiginous pace, as we witness how what once was considered implausible becomes real: Brexit; riots in France, Lebanon and Chile; the largest pandemic hitherto; and, most recently, worldwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in the United States. Underlying these political processes is the unresolved tension between the moral duty of ensuring human rights and dignity and the economic maxims advancing neo-liberalism and endless growth. Jessica Whyte unravels this crucial tension in a compelling, rigorous, deep and passionate study of the morals underpinning human rights and neo-liberal markets, providing extremely relevant insights for students, social scientists and the general public. The book is divided into seven sections, comprising an introduction, five chapters and an afterword. Its main premise is clear: in opposition to sanitizing accounts that portray neo-liberalism as a pure economic argument, Whyte demonstrates that it has been built on a moral and institutional scaffolding (similar to Christianity), aimed to make people submit to the free market order. Fundamental to this, she explains, was the rise of human rights in the wake of the Second World War. A rich historical depiction of the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and neo-liberalism provides strong evidence to support such a relationship. Furthermore, Whyte's use of direct quotes from the early neo-liberals and UDHR drafters allows readers to gain a good grasp of how the UDHR was influenced to enshrine a set of human rights tailored to promoting neo-liberalism.