Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
An insider's incisive and eye-opening account of the hypocrisies lurking behind the global elite's efforts to "change the world" through philanthropy and free enterprise without confronting their role in creating and perpetuating the very problems they purport to solve. Anand Giridharadas paints a hugely revealing picture of how the cosmopolitan global elite has co-opted the idea of "changing the world": reframing social problems as market problems; lavishly rewarding "thought leaders" who peddle winner-friendly theories of progress; and asking always how to do more good but never how to do less harm. Giridharadas hears the limousine confessions of a major charity's executive, tangles with a former American president about his plutocratic hangers-on, and attends a cruise-ship conference where entrepreneurs celebrate their own self-interested magnanimity. He poses difficult, urgent questions: Should the world's gravest problems be solved by unelected elites rather than the public institutions they flout with lobbying and tax loopholes? What does it mean to give millions away if those millions--actually billions--were made selling OxyContin, the drug of choice of the opioid epidemic? And he speaks truth to power: Only by tackling problems through democracy rather than charity with strings attached can we begin to truly change the world. A call to action for both elites and everyday citizens.
Synopsis
An insider's groundbreaking investigation of how the global elite's efforts to "change the world" preserve the status quo and obscure their role in causing the problems they later seek to solve. Former New York Times columnist Anand Giridharadas takes us into the inner sanctums of a new gilded age, where the rich and powerful fight for equality and justice any way they can--except ways that threaten the social order and their position atop it. We see how they rebrand themselves as saviors of the poor; how they lavishly reward "thought leaders" who redefine "change" in winner-friendly ways; and how they constantly seek to do more good, but never less harm. We hear the limousine confessions of a celebrated foundation boss; witness an American president hem and haw about his plutocratic benefactors; and attend a cruise-ship conference where entrepreneurs celebrate their own self-interested magnanimity.
Giridharadas asks hard questions: Why, for example, should our gravest problems be solved by the unelected upper crust instead of the public institutions it erodes by lobbying and dodging taxes? He also points toward an answer: Rather than rely on scraps from the winners, we must take on the grueling democratic work of building more robust, egalitarian institutions and truly changing the world. A call to action for elites and everyday citizens alike.
Synopsis
The New York Times bestselling, groundbreaking investigation of how the global elite's efforts to change the world preserve the status quo and obscure their role in causing the problems they later seek to solve. An essential read for understanding some of the egregious abuses of power that dominate today's news. Former New York Times columnist Anand Giridharadas takes us into the inner sanctums of a new gilded age, where the rich and powerful fight for equality and justice any way they can--except ways that threaten the social order and their position atop it. We see how they rebrand themselves as saviors of the poor; how they lavishly reward thought leaders who redefine change in winner-friendly ways; and how they constantly seek to do more good, but never less harm. We hear the limousine confessions of a celebrated foundation boss; witness an American president hem and haw about his plutocratic benefactors; and attend a cruise-ship conference where entrepreneurs celebrate their own self-interested magnanimity.
Giridharadas asks hard questions: Why, for example, should our gravest problems be solved by the unelected upper crust instead of the public institutions it erodes by lobbying and dodging taxes? He also points toward an answer: Rather than rely on scraps from the winners, we must take on the grueling democratic work of building more robust, egalitarian institutions and truly changing the world. A call to action for elites and everyday citizens alike.