Synopses & Reviews
When Corporations Rule the World has become a modern classic. Korten's warnings about the growing global power of multinational corporations seem prophetic today. This new edition has been revised throughout to make it more accessible to the general reader, and features a new introduction, a new epilogue, and three new chapters. While Korten points out that the multinationals are, if anything, more powerful now than they were when he first wrote the book, he also offers reason for hope: the growth of the international Living Democracy movement opposing corporate rule. The new material in the book:
• Documents the consolidation—since1995—of financial and corporate power at the expense of democracy, people, communities, and the planet
• Looks in depth at the nature and cultural underpinnings of the burgeoning Living Democracy movement to resist corporate power
• Offers a vision of a what a “civil society”—grounded in life-centered values rather than immediate financial gain—might look like.
Review
“This is a ‘must-read' book—a searing indictment of an unjust international economic order, not by a wild-eyed idealistic left-winger, but by a sober scion of the establishment with impeccable credentials. It left me devastated but also very hopeful. Something can be done to create a more just economic order.”—Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate"Should be high on the list of 'must-read' books for even the busiest corporate executive."
—The Financial Times (London)"Building on the electrifying, bestselling first edition of When Corporations Rule the World, this new edition expands and updates Korten's laser-like analysis of how global corporations dominate people and their governments, and the miserable conditions that result when the few rule the many. Korten then shows practical pathways to a realizable future of more just, prosperous, and sustainable societies. This book will agitate your mind, elevate your soul, and engage your civic spirit."
—Ralph Nader “If you can read only one book on how to address the enormous challenges of our time, this is it.... Korten weaves together a devastating critique of the tyranny of the global economy with an arsenal of well-argued alternatives to offer an empowering agenda for change.”
—John Cavanagh, Fellow, Institute for Policy Studies and coauthor of Global Dreams“If you work in a business, or know someone who does, this book is required reading. Korten defines the business agenda for the next 20 years, and he does it thoughtfully and from the heart.”—Peter Block, author of Stewardship and The Empowered Manager“Required reading for women who want to peek behind the curtain of the global economy and figure out how to save ourselves and respond to the global SOS.”
—Bella Abzug, Co-Chair, Women's Environment & Development Organization"
When Corporations Rule the World is an absolutely indispensable guide to the new world economy. It is a learned, courageous, and ultimately hopeful book. It provides a blueprint for the process of economic reformation which is essential for the recovery of sovereignty, community, and a right relation to the natural world."—Resurgence"If every corporate leader who believes implicitly that consumerism is the path to happiness (and that rampant development is the road to global prosperity) were to read
When Corporations Rule the World with an open mind, that world just might have a chance of becoming a better place for us all."—Toronto Globe and Mail“Korten's mixture of acute observation, common-sense practicality and vigorous idealism may open more than a few minds.”
—The New Internationalist “A clear-eyed, rational critique... Korten's book deserves a large readership.”
—Academy of Management Review
Synopsis
As last year's World Trade Organization protests in Seattle indicate, author Korten is not alone in his concern about the harmful effects of globalization on politics, society, and the environment. He examines how economic globalization has resulted in the emergence of a new organizational form--the transnational corporation.
Synopsis
Our Choice: Democracy or Corporate Rule
A handful of corporations and financial institutions command an ever-greater concentration of economic and political power in an assault against markets, democracy, and life. It's a "suicide economy," says David Korten, that destroys the very foundations of its own existence.
The bestselling 1995 edition of When Corporations Rule the World helped launch a global resistance against corporate domination. In this twentieth-anniversary edition, Korten shares insights from his personal experience as a participant in the growing movement for a New Economy. A new introduction documents the further concentration of wealth and corporate power since 1995 and explores why our institutions resolutely resist even modest reform. A new conclusion chapter outlines high-leverage opportunities for breakthrough change.
Synopsis
""""It is absolutely essential to be exposed to David C. Kortens work. . .on corporations and viable alternatives to corporate hegemony.""""
--Educate! Volume 2, Issue 3
*An international best-seller
*Endorsed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and World Economic Forum Founder Klaus Schwab
This second edition updates the reader on the deepening human crisis of the global economy. The gap between rich and poor continues to grow, and people continue to exploit the planet. Korten writes of the new global citizens' movement of activism in response to corporate globalization, and of civil society groups' efforts to restructure global economic governance. He transitions from a critical analysis of the new world order to an optimistic focus on the role of spirit and culture in a ""civil-ized"" society.
About the Author
David C. Korten is a cofounder and board chair of YES! Magazine, a cochair of the New Economy Working Group, the founder and president of the Living Economies Forum, a member of the Club of Rome, a founding board member emeritus of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, a former associate of the International Forum on Globalization, and a former Harvard Business School professor.