• Neoliberalism fosters hyper-individualism, advocating the notion that human prosperity is mostly derived from individual endeavors and decisions.

• Nevertheless, it also depends on people to willingly participate in communal service and fulfill their social obligations.

• This gives rise to a contradiction because people are incentivized to actively seek their own self-interests, yet the neoliberal system depends on a notion of collective responsibility that may conflict with this individualistic mindset.

• The difficulty is to find a balance between striving for personal achievement and making a positive impact on the overall welfare of society.

• Instead, it proposes alternative communal living models for a more equitable distribution of responsibilities.

• On the other hand, family reform supporters aim to adapt and improve existing family structures, accommodating diverse compositions and individual needs.

• Seeks policy changes to support various family configurations and promote work-life balance, fostering inclusive and equitable societies.

• The choice between these approaches depends on beliefs about the root causes of family-related issues.

Neoliberalism is a political and economic philosophy that emphasizes individual responsibility, deregulation, minimal government involvement in the economy, and free-market capitalism. It advocates for the privatization of public services, the expansion of free trade, and the scaling down of social assistance programs. Neoliberal policies often promote efficiency, competitiveness, and the notion that market forces should influence different elements of society.

"A new king of state - an antistatic state - is being built on prison foundations. The antistatic depends on ideological rhetorical dismissal of any agency or capacity that 'government' might use to guarantee social well-being. Beginning with the premise that social wages in the shape of tax dollars belong to all of us, inasmuch as we produce them, people can organise at some political-geographical levels to take charge of resources and turn them to life-enhancing use." - R. Wilson Gilmore, 2007. Golden gulag p.245

Ruth Wilson Gilmore

• Comes forward with idea with benign neglect or social abandonment

  • the choice to intentionally ignore a social issue or society

  • plays out over a long process, enlisting more and more people

• Shadow Sate

  • NGO's operate in the shadows of the state

  • Placing two interconnected histories: NGO's funded through governments, de radicalisation of social movements

  • NGO's are not accountable democratically, private entity

    
    

• Grass roots does not abandon itself

  • grassroots does not abandon itself

  • Organise because there is reason

  • "Freedom is not a gift" even if funding structures aren't there to support it

Do these views hold explanatory power? Why/why not?

Yes, these views do hold explanatory power because of Ruth's ability to interconnect histories and create and bounds understanding of NGO's and how they operate with or without the abandonments of structural support.

Social Reproduction

• Social reproduction comprises the crucial processes and actions required for the sustenance, renewal, and continuation of societies.

• It includes not only the act of biological reproduction, but also the wider social and economic activities that are necessary to support people and societies in the long term.

• These include caring, education, healthcare, and other types of work that contribute to the holistic welfare and sustainability of a society.

"Care economy"

• An intriguing notion in the field of social reproduction is the "care economy."

• The care economy emphasizes the crucial significance of caring and domestic labor in maintaining society.

• It acknowledges the sometimes not compensated or underestimated work, usually carried out by women, that makes a major contribution to the overall welfare of society.

• The notion is noteworthy since it contradicts conventional economic models by highlighting the significance of reproductive and care activities in affecting the general functioning of society.

• This encourages contemplation on the allocation of work, gender expectations, and the wider social systems that impact the recognition and assistance of caregiving.