Since the 1980s, neoliberal policies have been diffused around the world by international institutions established to support a very different world order. This article examines the repurposing of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to become the world’s leading promoter of free markets. Social scientists commonly point to two modes of global-level institutional change: formal and fundamental transformations, like renegotiated treaties, or informal and incremental changes of a modest nature. The case of the IMF fits neither of these molds: it underwent a major transformation but without change in its formal foundations. Relying on archival material and interviews, the authors show that fundamental-yet-informal change was effected through a process of norm substitution—the alteration of everyday assumptions about the appropriateness of a set of activities. This transformation was led by the United States and rested on three pillars: mobilization of resources and allies, normalization of new practices, and symbolic work to stabilize the new modus operandi. This account denaturalizes neoliberal globalization and illuminates the clandestine politics behind its rise.

中文翻译：

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新自由主义全球化的形成：规范替代与秘密制度变迁的政治

自 1980 年代以来，新自由主义政策已通过为支持截然不同的世界秩序而建立的国际机构传播到世界各地。本文考察了国际货币基金组织 (IMF) 的再利用，使其成为世界领先的自由市场推动者。社会科学家通常指出全球层面制度变革的两种模式：正式和根本性变革，如重新谈判的条约，或适度性质的非正式和渐进式变革。IMF 的案例不适合这两种模式：它经历了重大转变，但其正式基础没有改变。依靠档案材料和采访，作者表明，基本但非正式的变化是通过规范替代过程实现的——改变关于一系列活动的适当性的日常假设。这种转变由美国主导并依赖于三大支柱：资源和盟友的动员、新做法的正常化以及稳定新作案手法的象征性工作。这一描述使新自由主义全球化非自然化，并阐明了其兴起背后的秘密政治。