LAUSR

ABSTRACT With the significant changes in the economy and the society occurring under neo-liberalism as a base, this paper analyzes the extent to which government policies, including federal, state, and local, and labor activism since the Great Recession constitute challenges to neo-liberalism in the United States. It investigates the legacy of neo-liberalism including the ineffective federal governmental response to the COVID-19 economic and health crisis, and the emerging discourse within the Democratic Party calling for a major reorientation of government policy away from neo-liberalism. It concludes by discussing the effects of the neo-liberal agenda on economic well-being and evaluating whether the neo-liberal agenda has been successful in its own terms.