Neoliberalism and the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Enigma of Lockdown

When most states in Europe and elsewhere responded to the COVID­19 pandemic with the “lockdown” of much of economic and social life, this was heralded by many, particularly the political left, as the end of neoliberalism, an era in which market and efficiency imperatives predominated. This article argues that, on the contrary, lockdown itself shows the imprint of certain, less commonly apprehended yet equally “neoliberal” precepts, including authoritarianism, technocracy, a modicum of global governance, and an exalted sense of security. However, this is not to deny the importance of other factors in the making of this historically novel pandemic response measure, in particular, the “precautionary principle” in a context of great uncertainty.