Neoliberalism is...

         Neoliberalism, in theory, is essentially about making trade between nations easier. It is about freer movement of goods, resources and enterprises in a bid to always find cheaper resources, to maximize profits and efficiency.

       To help accomplish this, neoliberalism requires the removal of various controls deemed as barriers to free trade, such as:

• Tariffs
• Regulations
• Certain standards, laws, legislation and regulatory measures
• Restrictions on capital flows and investment

       The goal is to be able to to allow the free market to naturally balance itself via the pressures of market demands; a key to successful market-based economies.

As summarized from What is “Neo-Liberalism”? A brief definition for activists by Elizabeth Martinez and Arnoldo Garcia from Corporate Watch, the main points of neoliberalism includes:

• The rule of the market — freedom for capital, goods and services, where the market is self-regulating allowing the “trickle down” notion of wealth distribution. It also includes the deunionizing of labor forces and removals of any impediments to capital mobility, such as regulations. The freedom is from the state, or government.
• Reducing public expenditure for social services, such as health and education, by the government
• Deregulation, to allow market forces to act as a self-regulating mechanism
• Privatization of public enterprise (things from water to even the internet)
• Changing perceptions of public and community good to individualism and individual responsibility.

       Overlapping the above is also what Richard Robbins, in his book, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism (Allyn and Bacon, 1999), summarizes (p.100) about some of the guiding principles behind this ideology of neoliberalism:

• Sustained economic growth is the way to human progress
• Free markets without government “interference” would be the most efficient and socially optimal allocation of resources
• Economic globalization would be beneficial to everyone
• Privatization removes inefficiencies of public sector
• Governments should mainly function to provide the infrastructure to advance the rule of law with respect to property rights and contracts.

       At the international level then we see that this additionally translates to:

• Freedom of trade in goods and services
• Freer circulation of capital
• Freer ability to invest