Neoliberal Terror: The Radicalisation of Social Policy in Europe

This project is the first to systematically investigate the introduction of counterterrorism within Health and Social care across Europe. The longstanding separation of medicine and care from policing/intelligence in liberal societies has been superseded in the era of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). This study explores the political, economic and discursive mechanisms behind this dramatic policy shift, as well as the consequences for medical ethics and society. The project makes a major research contribution by exploring the integration of counterterrorism within caregiving professions as an effect of neoliberalism, through a methodologically pluralist approach. The project also contributes to research on policy diffusion by tracing the spread of deradicalisation programs between member states and EU institutions, with special attention paid to uptake by Europe’s small states.The first stage of the project operates at the European policy level. Data analysis is performed on political, economic and social data from all member states to determine the extent to which neoliberalism affects CVE implementation. Policy diffusion dynamics are then illuminated through Critical Discourse Analysis of institutional speeches, policies, and the work of the EU's Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN), which attempts to standardise counter-radicalisation practice in Europe. The second stage of the project explores the local implementation of counter-radicalisation in health and social care sectors of the UK; France; Norway; Finland; Croatia; and Lithuania. Interviews and site visits enable the research to investigate standardisation and variation in CVE practice within Health and Social Care. The final stage of the project embarks on participant research with persons referred to CVE programs, creating a documentary film which highlights the competing visions of care, security and medical ethics at play within European counterterrorism.