Conditional citizenship

This chapter examines how neoliberalism has reshaped citizenship by increasingly conditioning access to rights to economic productivity and conformity to social norms. Originally an economic theory, neoliberalism has evolved into a pervasive ideology that governs individual behavior, legitimizes inequality, and erodes the foundations of democratic citizenship. Building on T.H. Marshall’s framework of civil, political, and social rights, we argue that neoliberal ideology systematically restricts citizenship for subordinate groups across all these domains. Drawing on evidence from diverse contexts, we propose a model of neoliberal conditional citizenship , where rights are selectively granted to those deemed economically valuable, while those labelled unproductive or deviant face exclusion. We further contend that psychological science has often reinforced this process by framing inequality as the result of individual failure rather than structural injustice. In response, we advocate a bottom-up, emancipatory approach to citizenship that highlights how marginalized individuals and communities resist exclusion and reclaim rights through everyday practices. Finally, we call on psychologists to critically reflect on the discipline’s historical role in sustaining neoliberal structures and to actively contribute to their transformation.