Supercapitalism

Capitalism should be made to serve democracy, and not the other way around, argues Robert Reich.Supercapitalism - turbocharged, Web-based, able to find and make almost anything just about anywhere - is working wonderfully well to create wealth. But democracy, so argues Robert Reich, US Secretary of Labour under Bill Clinton - charged with caring for all citizens - is failing under its influence.Reich explains how widening inequalities, heightened job insecurity, and global warming are the logical outcomes of supercapitalism. He shows that companies, fighting harder than ever to be competitive, have become more deeply involved in politics, and how the tools used to temper society's problems - taxation, education, trade unions - have withered as supercapitalism has burgeoned."Supercapitalism" sets out a clear course to a vibrant capitalism and a concurrent, equally vibrant democracy. Business and politics must be kept distinct; the legal fiction that corporations are citizens must end - whether Wal-Mart, Google, Microsoft or Nike are good or evil misses the point. We must stop treating companies as if they were people and must abolish corporate income tax, charging shareholders instead, and hold individuals rather than corporations guilty of crimes. Only people can be citizens, and only citizens should be allowed to participate in democratic decision making.Important, timely, authoritative and thrilling, "Supercapitalism" is a tour-de-force of modern popular political writing and is essential reading for anyone concerned that government and big business are too familiar bedfellows.

ISBN 1848310072   DEWEY 320.97301 ISBN13 9781848310070 (What's this?)   DEWEY edition DC22 Publisher Icon Books Ltd   Pages 288 Imprint Icon Books Ltd   Published in Duxford Format Paperback   Height (mm) 220 Publication date 07 Aug 2008   Academic level General

"'A much-needed call for a reassessment of capitalism and recommendations for how to fix the mess we're in. An important book that needs to be read.' Joseph Stiglitz 'Supercapitalism is a grand debunking of the conventional wisdom in the style of John Kenneth Galbraith... the main thrust of Reich's argument is right on target... Reich documents in lurid detail the explosive growth of corporate lobbying expenditures and campaign contributions since the 1970s. Today's presidential candidates should study his message carefully' New York Times"

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