Liberal fatalism, COVID 19 and the politics of impossibility

Bacevic, Jana; McGoey, Linsey

Abstract

How liberal governments manage knowledge, ignorance, prediction and uncertainty has attracted increased attention across the social sciences. In this paper, we analyse the strategy and rhetoric of the UK government during the COVID-19 pandemic, with particular attention to the first half of 2020. We see the initial UK policy response – as well as its later legitimation – as a form of ‘politics of impossibility’, effecting political change through claims of incapacity or impotence. We argue this approach departs from the uses of knowledge and ignorance in both classical liberalism and neoliberalism, and suggests the emergence of a new, hybrid form of governance which can be dubbed liberal fatalism. We discuss the relevance of this new form of governance for political futures of an increasingly volatile world.

Citation

Bacevic, J., & McGoey, L. (2024). Liberal fatalism, COVID 19 and the politics of impossibility. Economy and Society, 53(1), 163-182. https://doi.org/10.1080/03085147.2024.2312710

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 1, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Feb 22, 2024
• Publication Date: Jan 2, 2024
• Deposit Date: Mar 21, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 22, 2024
• Journal: Economy and Society
• Print ISSN: 0308-5147
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-5766
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 53
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 163-182
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03085147.2024.2312710
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2334631