Beyond Trump: Neoliberal Capitalism and the Abolition of Corporate Crime

Abstract

This article argues that the dramatic destruction of regulatory agencies in the United States undertaken by the regime of Donald Trump has exposed the weakness of forces opposing global neoliberal capitalism. From the 1980s, as governments bought into neoliberal doctrines lauding the superiority of market forces and the “inefficiency” of regulation, agencies in most capitalist democracies have been downsized, privatized, and starved of resources and staff. But the Trump agenda evisceration has been unprecedented in its breadth and speed. This article, first, documents the extent of the destruction of protective legislation in three key areas: environmental, financial, and labor. Second, it examines the nature and extent of resistance, and third, the resilience of American capitalism despite ongoing and active resistance.