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{{short description|American libertarian philosophy}}
{{distinguish|New liberalism (ideology)}}{{Liberalism sidebar}}

'''Neoclassical liberalism''' (alternatively spelled '''neo-classical liberalism'''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mayne |first=Alan James |url=https://archive.org/details/frompoliticspast0000mayn/page/124/mode/2up?q=124 |title=From Politics Past to Politics Future: An Integrated Analysis of Current and Emergent Paradigms |publisher=Praeger Publisher |year=1999 |isbn=0-275-96151-6 |location=Westport, Connecticut |pages=124–125 |lccn=98-31077}}</ref>{{Efn|British researcher Alan James Mayne use the spelling with hyphenation.|name=}} and also known as '''new classical liberalism'''{{Efn|Political scientist Ellen Grigsby also uses «“new” classical liberals» to refer to the grouping}}) is a tradition of the [[Liberalism|liberal thought]] that, with the premises of [[John Locke]]'s [[classical liberalism]] applied to [[industrialized society|industrialized societies]], opposes the [[welfare state]] and left-leaning [[social liberalism]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Grigsby |first=Ellen |title=21st Century Political Science A Reference Handbook |publisher=SAGE Publications |year=2011 |isbn=978-1483305462 |editor-last=Ishiyama |editor-first=John T. |chapter=Neoclassical Liberals |editor-last2=Breuning |editor-first2=Marijke}}</ref>{{Rp|page=596}} In the [[United States]], the Arizona School liberalism (also known as ''bleeding-heart libertarianism'') co-opted the term ''neoclassical liberal'' to promote some ideas of [[Chicago school of economics|Chicago School economist]] [[Milton Friedman]], such as the [[School voucher|school voucher system]] and the [[negative income tax]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kling |first=Arnold |date=29 September 2003 |title=Bleeding-Heart Libertarianism |url=http://www.ideasinactiontv.com/tcs_daily/2003/09/bleeding-heart-libertarianism.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519054220/http://www.ideasinactiontv.com/tcs_daily/2003/09/bleeding-heart-libertarianism.html |archive-date=19 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Maloberti |first=Nicolás |year=2015 |title=Rawls and Bleeding Heart Libertarianism: How Well Do They Mix? |url=https://www.independent.org/pdf/tir/tir_19_04_07_maloberti.pdf |journal=The Independent Review |publisher=Independent Institute |volume=19 |issue=4}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=571–572}}

== History ==

=== 19th century neoclassical liberalism ({{Circa|1840|1900}}) ===
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In the [[late 19th century]], the [[Liberalism in the United Kingdom#1900s: New Liberalism and welfare state|establishment of social liberalism]] advocated by [[T. H. Green|Thomas Hill Green]] led to an internal dispute within the liberal movement: the social liberals{{Efn|At the time, social liberals were called "[[New liberalism (ideology)|new liberals]]" in the U.K.|name=}} (''welfare liberals'') were favorable to a more [[regulatory state]] and [[social justice]], while a faction of liberals continued to support [[laissez-faire|''laissez-faire'' economics]]. [[Industrial Revolution|Despite industrialization]]{{Efn|British philosopher John Locke wrote his ideas prior to the [[First Industrial Revolution]] ({{Circa|1760|1840}})}}, neoclassical liberals argued that their interpretation of the liberalism envisioned by the British philosopher [[John Locke]] in his ''[[Second Treatise of Government|Second Treatise of Goverment]]'' of 1690 continued to be the best guide for handling social and economic issues.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=|pages=596–597}}
British sociologist [[Herbert Spencer]] proposed the principle of "[[survival of the fittest]]". In his book ''The Proper Sphere of Government'', Spencer argued that individuals have only two [[Natural rights and legal rights|natural rights]]: the [[right to life]] and the [[right to property]]. Like the American [[William Graham Sumner]], Spencer believed that [[Economic interventionism|state intervention in economic affairs]] (which he called ''officialism'') would lead to decadence and/or parasitism to the detriment of the employed; he therefore opposed to [[trade regulation]], [[State school|public education]], [[State religion|state-sponsored religions]], [[Welfare|social security]], and [[State ownership|state-owned transportation systems]].<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=597}}

American social scientist William G. Sumner contended that the [[Limited government|proper role of government]] was the protection of "the property of men and the honor of women", government was to be a rationalistic response of individuals to defend property rights and the purpose was to be merely [[Contractualism|contractualistic]].<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=600}}

=== Mid-20th century right-libertarianism (1943-1980s) ===
[[File:Friedrich August Hayek 03 Upscaled Colorized.png|thumb|upright|Austrian-British economist [[Friedrich Hayek|F. A. Hayek]] (1899–1992)]]
Neoclassical liberalism re-emerged mainly in the [[Aftermath of World War II|post-World War II era]], when [[Modern liberalism in the United States|modern liberalism]] was the main form of liberalism and [[Keynesian economics|Keynesianism]] and [[social democracy]] were the dominant ideologies in the [[Western world]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Richardson |first=James L. |title=Contending liberalisms in world politics: ideology and power |publisher=Rienner Publishers |year=2001 |isbn=978-1555879396}}</ref>{{Rp|page=43}} After [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin Delano Roosevelt]]'s [[New Deal|New Dea]]<nowiki/>l (1933-1944), which contributed to the expansion of the welfare state in the United States, economists such as [[Friedrich Hayek|Friedrich von Hayek]] (1899–1992) and [[Milton Friedman]] (1912–2006) began to reintroduce neoclassical liberal policies as alternatives to Roosevelt's social liberalism.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ball |first=Terence |title=Ideals and Ideologies: A Reader |last2=Dagger |first2=Richard |last3=O'Neill |first3=Daniel I. |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2019 |isbn=978-1000011906 |orig-date=1990}}</ref>{{Rp|page=556}}

The [[Libertarianism in the United States|U.S. libertarian movement]] of the late 20th century is seen as a successor to neoclassical liberalism.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=603}} According to Ellen Grigsby, arguments of contemporary neoclassical liberal thought are present in the philosophy of [[Robert Nozick]] and in the party platform of the American [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]].<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=603}}

=== 21st-century neoclassical liberals ===
Contemporary neoclassical liberals have tried to expunge the [[Social Darwinism|social Darwinistic]] implications of neoclassical liberal theory, the legacy of Spencer and Sumner, although they continue to advocate on behalf of the benefits of minimal state intervention and liberty for self-interested individuals.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=603}}

== Usage by Bleeding-Heart Libertarians ==
[[File:BHL logo.png|thumb|Logo used by the official Bleeding-Heart Libertarians blog.]]
Neoclassical liberalism, as understood by the Arizona School liberalism<ref name="LWENK" /><ref>Matt Zwolinski and John Tomasi, [https://www.cato-unbound.org/2012/04/02/matt-zwolinski-john-tomasi/bleeding-heart-history-libertarianism "A Bleeding Heart History of Libertarianism"], April 2, 2012, ''[[Cato Unbound]]''.</ref><ref name="LWENK">{{cite book|last=Brennan|first=Jason|author-link=Jason Brennan|date=2012|publisher=Oxford University Press|title=Libertarianism: What Everyone Needs to Know|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7QuzSDXsKQQC&q=arizona+school+libertarianism&pg=PA188|page=188|isbn=978-0199933914}}</ref><ref name="3AM">Neoclassical liberal philosophers such as [[David Schmidtz]], Jerry Gaus, John Tomasi, Kevin Vallier, Matt Zwolinski and [[Jason Brennan]] all have a connection to the [[University of Arizona]] (cf. [https://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/on-the-ethics-of-voting/ "On the ethics of voting"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180907221350/https://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/on-the-ethics-of-voting/ |date=2018-09-07 }}, ''[[3:AM Magazine]]'', January 14, 2013).</ref> or '''bleeding-heart libertarians''',<ref name="BHL" /> is a [[Libertarianism in the United States|libertarian]] [[political philosophy]]<ref name="3AM" /> that focuses on the compatibility of support for [[civil liberties]] and [[free market]]s on the one hand and a concern for [[social justice]] and the well-being of the worst-off on the other. Adherents of neoclassical liberalism broadly hold that an agenda focused upon [[Individual freedom|individual liberty]] will be of most benefit to the economically weak and [[socially disadvantaged]].<ref name="bhl-aboutus">{{cite web|url=http://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/about-us/|title=About Us|date=16 May 2011 |publisher=Bleeding Heart Libertarians}}</ref>

The first known use of the term "Arizona School" was by [[Andrew Sabl]], introducing David Schmidtz at a UCLA Department Colloquium in 2012. Upon being pressed to define "Arizona School" Sabl said the school is broadly libertarian but that its most distinguishing characteristic is that it produces political philosophy that aims to be observation-based and empirically accountable.
The first recorded use of the term ''bleeding-heart libertarian'' seems to have been in a 1996 essay by Roderick T. Long.<ref name="long">{{cite web|url=http://www.freenation.org/a/f41l2.html|title=Beyond the Boss|last=Long|first= Roderick|year=1996|access-date=2012-09-20}}</ref> It was subsequently used in a [[blog]] post by Stefan Sharkansky<ref name="sharkansky">{{cite web|url=http://www.usefulwork.com/shark/archives/000001.html|title=My Blog and Welcome to It|last=Sharkansky|first=Stefan|date=2002-06-01|access-date=2012-06-16}}</ref> and later picked up and elaborated on by [[Arnold Kling]] in an article for ''[[TCS Daily]]''.<ref name="kling-intro">{{cite web|url=http://www.ideasinactiontv.com/tcs_daily/2003/09/bleeding-heart-libertarianism.html|title=Bleeding-Heart Libertarianism|last=Kling|first=Arnold|date=2003-09-29|access-date=2012-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519054220/http://www.ideasinactiontv.com/tcs_daily/2003/09/bleeding-heart-libertarianism.html|archive-date=2012-05-19|url-status=usurped}}</ref> Since then, the term has been used sporadically by a number of libertarian writers including [[Anthony Gregory]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.lewrockwell.com/gregory/gregory32.html|title=Don't Privatize Plunder|last=Gregory|first=Anthony|publisher=LewRockwell.com|access-date=2018-09-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618072835/http://archive.lewrockwell.com/gregory/gregory32.html|archive-date=2015-06-18|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Bryan Caplan]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Who's More Irresponsible?|last=Caplan|first=Bryan|publisher=EconLog}}</ref>

In March 2011, a group of academic philosophers, political theorists and economists created the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog.<ref name=BHL>{{cite web|url=http://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/2011/03/bleeding-heart-libertarianism/|title=Bleeding-Heart Libertarianism|last=Zwolinski|first=Matt|publisher=Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog|date=2011-03-03}}</ref> Regular contributors to the blog included [[Fernando Tesón]], [[Gary Chartier]], [[Jason Brennan]], Matt Zwolinski, Roderick T. Long, and [[Steven Horwitz]].

=== Criticism ===
Critics of the bleeding-heart libertarian movement include economist [[David D. Friedman]], for whom bleeding-heart libertarians "insist that social justice ought to be part of libertarianism but are unwilling to tell us what it means."<ref>{{cite web|title=David Friedman on Bleeding-Heart Libertarianism|last=Henderson|first=David|publisher=[[Liberty Fund|EconLog]]|url=|date=2012-04-28}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{cols|colwidth=21em}}
* [[Classical liberalism]]
* [[Gary Chartier]]
* [[Compassionate conservatism]]
* [[Distributive justice]]
* [[Fred Foldvary]]
* ''[[Free Market Fairness]]''
* [[Geolibertarianism]]
* [[Left-wing market anarchism]]
* [[Left-libertarianism]]
* [[Libertarian paternalism]]
* [[Lockean proviso]]
* [[Michael Munger]]
* [[Neo-libertarianism]]
* [[Michael Otsuka]]
* [[Poverty reduction]]
* [[Radical centrism]]
* [[Radicalism (historical)]]
* [[David Schmidtz]]
* [[Hillel Steiner]]
{{colend}}

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
{{reflist}}

== References ==
* Jeffrey Edward Green (2016), ''The Shadow of Unfairness: A Plebeian Theory of Liberal Democracy'', Oxford University Press.
* Jason Brennan, Bas van der Vossen, David Schmidtz, eds. (2017), ''The Routledge Handbook of Libertarianism'', Routledge: "Libertarianism and the Welfare State" by Matt Zwolinski.

== Further reading ==
* Jeppe von Platz, [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08913811.2013.823766 "Absolute freedom of contract: Grotian Lessons for Libertarians"], ''Critical Review'' '''25'''(1), 2013, 107–119.
* Rob Reich, [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08913811.2014.969095 "Gift Giving and Philanthropy in Market Democracy"], ''Critical Review'' '''26'''(3–4), 2014, 408–422.
* Nicolás Maloberti, [https://www.jstor.org/stable/24563069?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents "Rawls and Bleeding Heart Libertarianism: How Well Do They Mix?"], ''The Independent Review'' '''19'''(4), 2015, 563–582.
* Otto Lehto, [http://www.ottolehto.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Otto-Lehto-The-Limited-Welfare-State-as-Utopia-The-Case-for-a-Libertarian-Basic-Income-1.0.pdf "The Limited Welfare State as Utopia: The Case for a Libertarian Basic Income"], Presentation for the BIEN World Congress (Seoul, Korea, 2016).

== External links ==
* [http://www.bleedingheartlibertarians.com Bleeding Heart Libertarians] – The official blog
* [http://reason.com/blog/2011/10/05/reasontv-philosopher-matt-zwol Matt Zwolinski discusses Bleeding Heart Libertarianism with Reason TV]
* [http://www.johnmccaskey.com/new-libertarians/ New Libertarians: New Promoters of a Welfare State] – A historical look at the development of (and ultimately a criticism of) Bleeding Heart Libertarianism by John P. McCaskey
* [http://www.mercadopopular.org Instituto Mercado Popular] – BHL Brazilian research institute (in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]])

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{{libertarianism}}
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[[Category:Liberalism in the United States]]
[[Category:History of liberalism]]

Neoclassical liberalism - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article