The Concept of 'Neoliberalism' in the 21st Century

Neoliberalism can be historically defined as a modified form of liberalism, tending to favour free market capitalism. Neoliberals have often argued that economic freedoms such as less taxes on the rich and less welfare spending will inevitably lead to and secure political freedoms such as the right to freedom of speech. From a perspective like this, it's quite easy to assume that as the world becomes more grounded on the idea of universal human rights, nation states will follow and establish laissez-fairre economic policy as the norm as Francis Fukuyama predicted in his book The End of History and the Last Man (1992). 
This claim is questionable but this blog isn't about whether neoliberalism is actually put in practise but rather about whether neoliberalism as a theory is changing or evolving?

So what is new about neoliberalism at least in the 21st Century? Pierre Dardot and Christian Laval contend in their book The New Way of the World: On Neoliberal Society that it is now more than just a new economic paradigm as just described -- it is a system for transforming the human subject. Rather than a return to classic liberalism, neoliberalism now envisages the modern corporation as a model for government, conjuring a future in which society is nothing other than a web of market-based relations.

Dardot and Laval discuss in their book neoliberalism in many aspects; its historical background, its gradual evolution as a concept as the modern world progresses, the paradox between political democracy and capitalism, how capitalism commodifies human relations (which Marx and Polanyi highlighted in their works) and how personal liberty cannot exist without a state that guarantees its existence. But more importantly it is discussed in the book how the individual is being further commodified into an enterprise. Dardot and Laval back this up by highlighting how classical liberalism has failed to adapt to reality (individuals aren't just 'fictitious commodities'; they have personal lives, ambitions and career goals); Dardot and Laval argue "neoliberalism now isn't a matter of a man never being reduced to the status of a passive object or recognising that a man at work remains a man, but more a matter of viewing him as an active subject who must participate and engage completely in his professional activity". In this view, neoliberals envisage a new world in the future "where individuals should work for enterprises as if they were working for themselves, abolishing any distance between individuals and the enterprises employing them". They go on further to say "the construction of the market, enterprise and money tends to lead to the idea of 'personal enterprise' and this is all made possible by subtle techniques of motivation, incentivisation and stimulation". Moreover, the role of the government is to promote and teach enterprise at all levels. Margaret Thatcher provided a clear formulation of this rationality: "Economics are the method. The object is to change the soul."

What's most interesting about the arguments in this book is the paradox between political democracy and capitalism as they both progress. Political democracy is meant to be based on pluralism, equality and social cohesion between all classes yet critics often argue that capitalism will generally lead to elitism, inequality and rivalry between the social classes. The rise of populism in the recent decade highlights the backlash from a large portion of society against elitism and unfairness as rich people tend to have more influence on public policy then average or poorer people. Even the American linguist, author and political activist Noam Chomsky has highlighted how dangerous neoliberalism as an ideology is to a fair and just democracy.

Quick Questions:
- Is Neoliberalism relevant/pragmatic today?
- Is The New Way of the World: On Neoliberal Society accurate on its claims about how neoliberalism is changing?
- Are you a Neoliberal?