Neoliberal Globalization and its Counter-Ideologies: A Critical Analysis of the Human Development and Capabilities Approach

While scholars have extensively studied neo-liberalism (i.e. market globalism) as a contemporary ideology of globalization, much less is known about competing ideologies that have challenged neoliberalism on a global scale.  Addressing this gap, I critically examine the “human development and capabilities approach” (HDCA) as a counter-ideology to neoliberalism that has been able to diffuse somewhat broadly through its affiliation with the United Nations.  Incorporating critical insights from Steger and James (2019), I reveal how the HDCA (i.e. capabilities globalism) offers an alternative ideology of globalization steeped in a global imaginary. Yet, despite multiple strengths, the HDCA’s morphology and deployment thus far have placed certain limitations on its potential global resonance.  In response, I propose that an ideology committed to global human development should not only be more self-critical but also take more seriously four pivotal factors: the state, solidarity, spirituality, and the role of intergovernmental bodies like the United Nations.