

Counterrevolution w/ Melinda Cooper
33 snips Sep 30, 2025
In this discussion, Melinda Cooper, a sociologist and author, dives deep into her book on neoliberalism and its role in reshaping America’s fiscal landscape. She explores how this counter-revolution dismantled the gains of the 1960s, leading to class and racial hierarchies. Cooper highlights the significance of the 1970s fiscal crisis, the influence of Paul Volcker's policies, and the rise of asset appreciation over production. She also examines the politics behind property rights and the polarization within labor movements, shedding light on today’s economic disparities.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Neoliberal Counter-Revolution Defined
- Neoliberal counter-revolution used fiscal and monetary tools to reverse 1960s-70s left gains.
- It remade the economy to prioritize asset appreciation over wages and social spending.
State Tools Subsidized Assets Not Wages
- The regime shifted from subsidizing wages to subsidizing asset prices via Treasury and Fed policy.
- This produced suppressed wages and hyperinflated financial assets as central economic goals.
Founders Replace Managerial Elite
- Corporate control concentrated in founder- and family-owned firms, reversing managerial and mass-shareholder forms.
- That concentration made elites more patrimonial and aligned with reactionary politics.