A New Era of Capitalism? Responses to Harvey's 2010 Roepke Lecture

In the Roepke lecture at AAG 2010 (Economic Geography in press), David Harvey suggests that the current configuration of the global economy (i.e., neoliberal capitalism) is in the midst of a crisis which, like that of the 1970s, signals the need for modifications to its underlying logic in order to allow for recovery. Such a putative, altered political economy may be revolutionary or, perhaps more likely, evolutionary; regardless, Harvey argues that we are in the midst of a moment of confusion about how the global political economy will adapt. In his conclusion, he emphasizes this moment as an opportunity for the articulation of alternatives to neoliberalism rather than merely refinements of it.
This panel takes up the question posed but not answered in Harvey's recent work: what could plausible alternatives to, or modifications of, the contemporary political economy look like? What are the key barriers in the current crisis that require the most immediate negotiation, and how easily or realistically can they be addressed? How might existing institutions change to address the underlying causes of the crisis—or, alternatively, what necessary changes are those institutions unlikely to be prepared to adopt? Papers should respond to the critical tone of Harvey's provocation, but we invite heterogeneity of perspectives on what a "new neoliberalism" (or its alternative) might entail.