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The DISRUPT thinking routine is a CEL thinking tool designed to analyze economic (neoliberal) theories, policies, and practices through seven interconnected lenses: Definition, Incoherence, Silver Bullet/Simplistic Solutions, Reflexivity, Unintended Consequences, Positionality, and Theory’s Assumptions. Each component encourages a deeper interrogation of economic/neoliberal ideas and their implications, with the goal of fostering epistemic sight and critical awareness.

Definition

This lens examines how terms are formally defined within economic discourse, contrasting them with layperson understandings. For example, while lowering inflation is often perceived as reducing prices, it technically means that prices rise at a slower rate rather than decreasing. This distinction highlights the gap between technical definitions and public expectations.

Incoherence

This lens identifies contradictions within economic theories or goals. For instance, the pursuit of infinite economic growth is inherently incoherent within a framework predicated on the concept of scarcity. Such incoherence reveals tensions even between economic theories but are unacknowledged or knowingly ignored.

Silver Bullet/Simplistic Solutions

This lens critiques the tendency to propose oversimplified solutions to complex problems. For example, while increasing taxes on the wealthy is often advocated as a means to reduce inequality, it raises questions about whether such measures alone can address systemic inequities or merely treat symptoms of deeper structural issues.

Refutation

This lens challenges the continued reliance on outdated or disproven economic and neoliberal theories. It calls into question theories that have been empirically invalidated or rendered obsolete by changing social, ecological, or technological realities. For instance, the belief that deregulation universally leads to innovation and efficiency ignores mounting evidence of market failures, environmental degradation, and growing inequality. Refutation invites a critical reexamination of inherited frameworks and to discard models that no longer serve collective wellbeing.

Unintended Consequences

This lens explores how solutions to one problem can inadvertently create new challenges, often referred to as the "Cobra Effect." A historical example is the incentive system introduced in Delhi, India, toreduce the snake population by paying individuals for each snake captured. Instead of solving the problem, this policy led to the establishment of snake farms, exacerbating the issue.

Positionality

This lens examines how an individual’s identity, social position, and lived experiences shape their representation within economic systems. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the diverse stakeholders involved in economic decisions, particularly those who are marginalized or excluded from dominant economic narratives. For example, in debates about urban development, positionality helps us to consider how low-income communities or Indigenous groups might be disproportionately affected but under-represented by gentrification or resource extraction.

Theory’s Assumptions

This lens scrutinizes the underlying assumptions of economic theories, which are often unrealistic yet rarely questioned. For instance, the argument that raising the minimum wage leads to higher unemployment assumes that labor productivity remains constant. However, if higher wages improve worker motivation and productivity, the negative impact on employment may be mitigated. This highlights the importance of critically examining the assumptions that underpin economic reasoning.

The creation of this DISRUPT mnemonic as a thinking routine seeks to make CEL more accessible and memorable and aid in the questioning of extant neoliberal biases and narratives in a reflexive way. The current solutions that tend to be proffered have proven inadequate to challenge the neoliberalism that has worsened our inequitable and unequal world over the last 50 years. Your gaining of CEL and promoting of CEL is an important way to reimagine new possibilities. You are a change maker!