Freedom, domination and the liberal art of government: advanced liberal technologies in Fraser Institute discourse
Date
2000
Authors
Shaw, Murray
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Abstract
This thesis approaches the discourse of the Fraser Institute, a free-market think-tank based in Canada, from the perspective of governmentality, a body of literature that draws on the work of Michel Foucault. While the Fraser Institute is commonly regarded as disseminating the classical liberal tenets of the minimal state and market freedom, this thesis draws on Nikolas Rose's (1999) notion of' advanced liberalism' to demonstrate that the Institute is articulating themes of contemporary governance that do not fit neatly under the heading of classical liberalism. The dismantling of the welfare state is explained from the governmentality perspective, and then this perspective is applied to an analysis of Fraser Institute discourse across several areas of public service provision, and in relation to the concept of 'community'. It is found that while a governmentality analysis offers productive insights into Fraser Institute discourse, this analysis misses important aspects of both contemporary political rationality and Fraser Institute discourse. Strengths and weaknesses of the approach are discussed, and suggestions offered as to how the governmentality perspective could be reoriented to offer a more satisfactory account of free market discourses such as that of the Fraser Institute.