According to the neoliberal ideology, "an open, competitive, unregulated market free from all types of state involvement constitutes the best mechanism for economic progress. 2012 (Lin & Mele). While Bourdieu (1998) asserts that "the ideology's intellectual basis is a utopia of unrestricted exploitation." The article's core claim is that cities have taken on a new role that not only sees them as the regional hubs for large-scale global initiatives based on neoliberal restructures, but also as active participants in the reproduction, mutation, and ongoing reconfiguration of neoliberalism. The neoliberalism based on the Fordist-Keynesian calls for least government interventions, spurs productivity especially through the use of standard manufacturing approaches and prompts economic boom. The argument prompted on the 'Cities and the geographies of actually existing neoliberalism' emanates from the marked and constitutive inconsistencies notable between the utopian idealism regarding a free market and relatively chequered, variegated realism of the factors governing various schemes. The typical restructuring plans are designed differently in acknowledgment of the competition, market choice, liberty, and proficiency (Macartney, 2011). The approach is notably a strong discourse that is inherently and deeply enmeshed within the principal circuits of finance, culture and even corporate power. The neoliberalism theory informs of a self-serving story regarding the free markets and entailed small states, discriminative deregulation and pointed reregulation, administration of low taxes and reduced administrations that allow for the presentation of the privatized and market-like provisions are availed in supportive basis (Peck, 2010).
The New Role of Cities
The new role of the cities has been instrumentally notable in the past two decades. The period has entailed remarkable urbanization of neoliberalism due to the tactical targets for augmentation of the wide range policy related experiment, instituted innovations, and heightened political oriented projects. The cities have adopted the responsibility of incubation for the conduction of broad political and ideological policies which facilitate the dominion of neoliberalism. Neoliberalism this article calls for more comprehensive and welcoming approach to incoming races who have been perceived as unwanted immigrants. "It would appear, then that cities are not merely localized arenas in which broader global or national projects of neoliberal restructuring unfold. On the contrary, cities have become increasingly central to the reproduction, mutation and continual reconstitution of liberalism itself during the last two decades" (Lin & Mele, 2012).
Neoliberalism and Urban Centers
Neoliberalism outlines the proper inclusion of various races in proper productivity approach as opposed to the current strict control of trade. The urban centers are mainly cosmopolitan regions. The current status creates an apprehensive approach whereby it is hard to decide whether the powerful contradiction notable in the presently designed urbanization formations may avail new openings for the continually advanced, radically democratic reuse of the city spaces or even if the neoliberal approaches may be instilled deep into the underlying institutional foundations regarding urban governance. The article's specific data that that stuck out to me is the insufficient addressing of demerits of the unregulated market or neoliberal market. Government agencies provide structures and control that motivate market growth, reliability and nurture investor's trusts (Lin & Mele, 2012).
Urban Sociology
This article relates closely with what is outlined in the textbook as it elaborates how the urban centers are increasing various accommodating people of different cultures and social background. The article articulates the problem facing the urban center and outline how the town or cities can tackle such problems. Continued global recession, reduced unemployment, consistent government control of the trade and commerce segments informs of great danger afflicting many countries. The article, however, beliefs that through the introduction of the open and free market with least possible state control is the solution to the increased problems facing many countries especially urban centers. "An understanding of actually existing neoliberalism must, therefore, explore the path-dependent, contextually specific interactions between inherited regulatory landscape and emergent neoliberal, market-oriented restructuring projects at a broad range of geographical scales" (Lin & Mele, 2012).
The Need for a Free Market
Through open market, countries can easily grow as outlined by world trade organizations despite public's opposition for such approaches. The article indicates how people different developed countries protested in opposition of the world trade organization (WTO) requirements (Leitner, Peck & Sheppard, 2007). Spatial-assimilation theory emanates impeccably as it portrays the ethnical component of the urban center which are considered the local points for neoliberalism. The article also highlights the essence of the Fordism theory which pushes for the adoption of the modern economic and social structures founded on the industrialized and standardized mass production approach that outlines mass consumption of goods. The article views Fordism and Keynesian theory as the possible ways of tackling current social challenges inherent in many urban centers. The inclusion of the population in the production of cheap and affordable goods using the unskilled workforce as it was in the Henry Ford approach to the manufacture of automobiles (Macartney, 2011).
Reflection
I learned multiple things from the article. Firstly, the article proposes the least indulgence of the state in the regulation of the market and financial institutions. Many governments globally have been undertaking the critical regulation of the financial and goods markets against the recommendations of the World Bank or world trade organizations. The article proposes that reduced government interference with trade may eventually lead to the reduction of the economic challenges facing most countries. Secondly, the article acknowledges the town and urban centers as instrumental in the facilitation of neoliberalism. I agree with the article in many instances, for instance, the need to provide a free market. The American control and regulation of the American market have been a demerit to the economy and people of America (Leitner, Peck & Sheppard, 2007).The best example is the labor market controls. American policies on labor have been blamed for continuous relocation or outsourcing many American manufacturing jobs to foreign countries such as China. State agencies implement strict government and legal rules that make manufacturers in America incur huge production costs (Lin & Mele, 2012).I also agree with the article on how to tackle the huge number of immigrants. The free market would increasingly alleviate the huge social challenges entrenched in racial discrimination and association of some races with violence. The introduction of the Fordist-Keynesian approach would spur productivity and reduce economic downfall. I agree with many of the points rendered but not all. For instance, while the government should be expected to provide a free market, caution should extend to avoid the failure of nations. Approaches such as reduced taxation may render the government bankrupt. The government has bills to pay, and most of the cash comes from the domestic taxation process. I have seen similar arguments forwarded by international government agencies to promote free trade.
References
Lin, J., & Mele, C. (Eds.). (2012). The urban sociology reader. Routledge.
Leitner, H., Peck, J., & Sheppard, E. S. (2007). Contesting neoliberalism: Urban frontiers. New York: Guilford Press.
Peck, J. (2010). Constructions of neoliberal reason. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Macartney, H. (2011). Variegated neoliberalism: EU varieties of capitalism and international political economy. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Bridge, G., & Watson, S. (2010). The Blackwell city reader. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K: Wiley-Blackwell.
