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“Progressive” Neoliberalism in Europe: Discourses in the Shadow of Political Power
Abstract
Neoliberalism remains a contested narrative within global capitalism, requiring alliances across social classes and political fractions. Within this landscape, progressive neoliberalism occupies a distinct position, representing an alliance between financial capital and progressive elements of social movements. Originating in US debates of the 2010s that questioned its “humanitarian” claims, this research extends the analysis to Europe, focusing on centrist social and liberal democratic politics. Using Nancy Fraser’s concept of progressive neoliberalism, the study applies discourse analysis to speeches of four European leaders—Rutte, Macron, Scholz, and Sanchez—showing how their rhetoric combines support for Western alliances with moderate framings of social issues.
Keywords
Ethical Statement
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article
Thanks
The authors would like to sincerely thank Dr. S. Barış Gülmez and Dr. Cihan Özpınar for their inspiring suggestions and critiques on the earlier draft of this article. A shorter version of the draft was presented at the National Political Science Congress of the Turkish Political Sciences Association in 2023. The authors are grateful to the participants of the session for their comments
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
European and Region Studies, International Politics
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
July 31, 2026
Submission Date
September 2, 2025
Acceptance Date
January 30, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 21 Number: 2
APA
İpek, T. T., & Önkibar, E. (2026). “Progressive” Neoliberalism in Europe: Discourses in the Shadow of Political Power. Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi İktisadi Ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi, 21(2), 49-72. https://doi.org/10.17153/oguiibf.1777051
AMA
1.İpek TT, Önkibar E. “Progressive” Neoliberalism in Europe: Discourses in the Shadow of Political Power. Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi. 2026;21(2):49-72. doi:10.17153/oguiibf.1777051
Chicago
İpek, Taşkın Toprak, and Emre Önkibar. 2026. “‘Progressive’ Neoliberalism in Europe: Discourses in the Shadow of Political Power”. Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi İktisadi Ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi 21 (2): 49-72. https://doi.org/10.17153/oguiibf.1777051.
EndNote
İpek TT, Önkibar E (July 1, 2026) “Progressive” Neoliberalism in Europe: Discourses in the Shadow of Political Power. Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi 21 2 49–72.
IEEE
[1]T. T. İpek and E. Önkibar, “‘Progressive’ Neoliberalism in Europe: Discourses in the Shadow of Political Power”, Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 49–72, July 2026, doi: 10.17153/oguiibf.1777051.
ISNAD
İpek, Taşkın Toprak - Önkibar, Emre. “‘Progressive’ Neoliberalism in Europe: Discourses in the Shadow of Political Power”. Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi 21/2 (July 1, 2026): 49-72. https://doi.org/10.17153/oguiibf.1777051.
JAMA
1.İpek TT, Önkibar E. “Progressive” Neoliberalism in Europe: Discourses in the Shadow of Political Power. Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi. 2026;21:49–72.
MLA
İpek, Taşkın Toprak, and Emre Önkibar. “‘Progressive’ Neoliberalism in Europe: Discourses in the Shadow of Political Power”. Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi İktisadi Ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi, vol. 21, no. 2, July 2026, pp. 49-72, doi:10.17153/oguiibf.1777051.
Vancouver
1.Taşkın Toprak İpek, Emre Önkibar. “Progressive” Neoliberalism in Europe: Discourses in the Shadow of Political Power. Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi. 2026 Jul. 1;21(2):49-72. doi:10.17153/oguiibf.1777051