Neoliberal Bio-Economies?

Kean Birch is a Senior Associate of the Innovation Policy Lab, University of Toronto, Canada.

• 1. Introduction.- 2. Neoliberalism.- 3. Neoliberalism and bio-economies.- 4. Background to emerging bio-economies.- 5. Imagining bio-economies.- 6. Constructing bio-economies.- 7. Legitimating bio-economies.- 8. Limits to bio-economies.- 9. Alternative Bio-economies.- 10. Conclusion.

“This study is outstanding for its erudition and summaries of research into both neoliberalism and the bio-economy. … focal depth Birch offers into the importance of materiality in the co-construction of markets and natures is particularly welcome. … Birch’s study is a salutary compass to find one’s way among the meanderings of the bio-economy and to position it in a wider discussion about the relationships between the economy and the environment, as well as indicating stimulating research avenues to explore.” (Benjamin Raimbault,Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Vol. 102, 2021)