The virtue of competition is that it generates economic growth, the promotion of which is “the only one and true fundamental social policy.” Foucault elaborates: In neoliberalism, “social policy must not be something that works against economic policy and compensates for it” or that “follows strong economic growth by becoming more generous.” Instead, economic growth by itself should enable individuals to prosper and to protect themselves against risk, so economic growth is the state’s social policy. Competition is a means facilitating an end; the state primes this means so that the economy can generate the end.

Wendy Brown, Undoing the Demos, loc. 112