▁sharing ▁of ▁economic ▁and ▁political ▁power ▁between ▁large ▁corpor ations ▁and ▁the ▁state ▁... ▁then ▁a ▁corresponding ▁concentration ▁of ▁income ▁and ▁wealth ▁( with ▁resulting ▁income ▁inequality ) ▁is ▁an ▁expected ▁by - product ▁of ▁such ▁a ▁cons olid ation . ▁ ▁Ne oli ber al ism ▁ ▁Some ▁econom ists , ▁soci olog ists ▁and ▁anth rop olog ists ▁argue ▁that ▁ne oli ber al ism , ▁or ▁the ▁res urg ence ▁of ▁ 1 9 th ▁century ▁theories ▁rel ating ▁to ▁la isse z - f aire ▁economic ▁liberal ism ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 7 0 s , ▁has ▁been ▁the ▁significant ▁driver ▁of ▁inequality . ▁More ▁broad ly , ▁according ▁to ▁The ▁Hand book ▁of ▁Ne oli ber al ism , ▁the ▁term ▁has ▁" be come ▁a ▁means ▁of ▁ident ifying ▁a ▁seem ingly ▁u bi quit ous ▁set ▁of ▁market - orient ed ▁policies ▁as ▁being ▁largely ▁responsible ▁for ▁a ▁wide ▁range ▁of ▁social , ▁political , ▁e colog ical ▁and ▁economic ▁problems ." ▁Vic enç ▁Navar ro ▁points ▁to ▁policies ▁per tain ing ▁to ▁the ▁der eg ulation ▁of ▁labor ▁mark ets , ▁priv at ization ▁of ▁public ▁institutions , ▁union ▁b ust ing ▁and ▁reduction ▁of ▁public ▁social ▁exp end it ures ▁as ▁contrib utors ▁to ▁this ▁w iden ing ▁dispar ity . ▁The ▁priv at ization ▁of ▁public ▁functions , ▁for ▁example , ▁grows ▁income ▁inequality ▁by ▁de press ing ▁w ages ▁and ▁elimin ating ▁benefits ▁for ▁middle ▁class ▁workers ▁while ▁increasing ▁income