Nature in the ‘neoliberal laboratory’

Prompted by observations by Weller and O’Neill (2014) of the particularities of neoliberalism in resource-based economies such as Australia’s, this commentary looks into the partial and uneven introduction of neoliberal ideas and practices to natural resource management in Iceland. Some resource-based sectors have been profoundly impacted by neoliberalism, whereas others have been marked by an uneasy blend of developmental and neoliberal governance. The example strengthens the case for a careful contextual analysis of neoliberal ideologies, processes and outcomes.