Neoliberalism and National Culture

Book excerpt: Neoliberal globalization is understood to have a corrosive effect on the state. Reductions in economic regulatory capacities combined with an ideological attack on the public necessity of social spending has left many with the impression that the state is a weakened institution, at best. This book argues that despite popular claims to the contrary, global capitalism requires state institutional authority, but the legitimation of this authority is increasingly tied to cultural rather than economic means. Canada and Québec are presented in historical comparative context as examples of how neoliberal states achieve global political economic integration while relying on cultural legitimation to maintain social policies working to mitigate social changes resulting from increased global integration.