Briefly survey the historical events and factors that led to the post-WWII era global power hierarchy, explaining how unequal power relationships became institutionalized in efforts to reconstruct the global economy after WWII

According to Philip McMichael, “Development, today, is increasingly about how we survive the future, rather than how we improve on the past.” And, when we commonly discuss contemporary global politics, the issues of debate often seem divorced from the past. However, if, as we’ve seen, “development” is heavily embedded in global power relationships that are a legacy of past events, it becomes clear that “surviving the future” requires understanding these events and formulating a path forward accordingly. And, as Robert Marks reminds us, the past was not inevitable, and the corollary is that the future is not determined either.

For this essay assignment, we want you to explain how the adoption of neoliberalism as the organizing principle driving the global economy has reinforced the unequal power relationships that were developed for many centuries. Then, considering your response to the first part of the prompt, discuss how these conditions have been magnified under the current COVID crisis. Finally, in thinking about the current moment and the way forward, we want you to read and engage with the short article, “Renewing Socialism,” by Leo Panitch which is the pdf file which discusses the lessons learned, historically, and the opportunities that might exist with respect to engendering a more just future. This final component of your paper should, in approximately one page, reflect on these insights and connect them to the challenges that exist in the current context.

To effectively respond to the prompt, you will need to do the following:

-Briefly survey the historical events and factors that led to the post-WWII era global power hierarchy, explaining how unequal power relationships became institutionalized in efforts to reconstruct the global economy after WWII.

-Explain the conditions that led to the adoption of neoliberal policies and their basic assumptions, features, and prescriptions.

-Provide specific examples of how neoliberal policies (and institutions imposing them) reinforce – and indeed exacerbate – global inequality, both between and within societies, and how this is playing out in the current crisis. In other words, what are the specific mechanisms and how do they function?

-Discuss (in approximately one page) the points made by Leo Panitch in thinking about how we might work to create a more equitable, socially just arrangement.