In this concluding chapter I summarise the key themes of the book, and make some suggestions about how social work can reassert its core mission and commitment to social justice. I have argued here that neoliberalism has to be understood as a political and economic project. There are a number of key elements within it. Neoliberalism as a political philosophy is based on a belief that unfettered markets are the most effective mechanism for the distribution of resources. It is claimed by neoliberalism's most vocal supporters that markets are ‘natural’, and any attempt to interfere with them is doomed to failure. The market is presented as an unfettered mechanism of exchange between rational individuals. As Hall (2011) and Harcourt (2011) note, this is actually a somewhat idealised notion. However, the doxa of free market economics have become deeply entrenched within political and public policy discourse. Progressive parties have shifted Right-wards in their stance in the belief that they would not win elections on a traditional programme of commitment to investment in public services funded through direct taxation. The Blair and Clinton administrations followed this path so that they would not be outflanked on this issue.

Neoliberalism is a social as well as economic phenomenon. Its economic beliefs and views on a range of social issues are intertwined and cannot be divorced one from the other. Neoliberals have a view of the world that sees it as a competitive environment. Markets reward success and punish failure. Individuals succeed because of their own hard work, effort, skills and entrepreneurial vim. From this perspective, refusal to acknowledge this is either naive or the first steps to the establishment of ‘big government’. From this set of beliefs springs mistrust in the social state. Any moves for the state or government agencies to increase their powers or jurisdiction should be resisted at all costs. Government bureaucracies are, in this schema, not subject to the disciplines of the market such as the laws of supply and demand or competition. This means that they are naturally inefficient. The role of the state is to ensure that free markets can operate, ensure the safety of the citizen and defend the realm. The modern state that has taken a role in education, healthcare and transport, among many other areas, needs to be significantly reduced.