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Title: Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life (Borzoi Books)
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Manufacturer: Knopf
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| Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life (Borzoi Books) by Knopf Supercapitalism; human progress or demise? |
This is a very good, clearly written and authoritative book. It is of particular interest to me for it explains why capitalism has developed to be instrumental in the present world crisis for civilisation. The author does not claim this but if one extrapolates supercapitalism's explosion of lobbying and influence to remove impediments to profit, which have demolished many of the social attributes of capitalism, it follows that environmental regulation and law will continue to suffer most from the attention of market forces. There are no affluent companies to lobby on behalf of the retention of ecological services, in effect the life support services of humanity, or to lobby on behalf of the urgent action to curtail greenhouse emissions which have an increasingly visible impact on the earth's physical and biological systems, or to make representations that capitalism must not extend its exploitation of natural resources to use capital as well as interest. These representations are made by dint of the small donations of concerned citizens and are rarely heard.
For these reasons, I would recommend the book to all those concerned with the future health and wellbeing of humanity and therefore students of environmentalism for it explains the fundamental problem that must be solved if democracy is to survive to address the present crisis. This orientation is in contrast with the many reviewers who see the book as economically focussed.
By any scientific calculation, world natural resources and damage to the planet, the accelerating economic growth conferred by supercapitalism is not sustainable. Reich does not address this and the omission reflects the reductionism that separates economics and science. His observations on the demise of democracy are however incisive. In "The Climate Change Challenge and the Failure of Democracy" by David Shearman and Joseph Wayne Smith published at the same time as "Supercapitalism", our conclusion agrees with that of Reich--that democracy must be reformed by separating government from capitalism. We describe a fusion of capitalism and liberal democracy as a root cause of our problems and state that it must be ruptured.
The mechanisms whereby reform can be enacted amount to wishful thinking by Reich. This statement is not intended to be dismissive for it is difficult to visualise how to proceed. As a physician and therefore student of human nature, I recognise both the potency of unleashed human greed and the capacity for self delusion in the face of severe illness! Western democracy is wallowing in both. It would be good if the intellectual giants of public policy, such as Robert Reich and the environmental scientists applied their lateral thinking together.
A final thought. The statement "Capitalism is almost certainly a precondition for democracy" can surely be contested, perhaps not in US liberal democracy but certainly in the ancient Greek origins and operation of democracy.
| | Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life (Borzoi Books) by Knopf Reich is persuasive and explains himself very well | | Robert Reich writes extremely well. In this book, he has some particular points to make. He sticks to the point, and develops his argument very clearly and cleanly. What he's saying is tremendously important to anyone who lives in, or wants to understand, the USA. The way we have traded off gains in our roles as consumers and shareholders, at the expense of our roles as citizens, is a huge change in our society that affects us all. Even if you are a "conservative", you'll find that you can read this book and appreciate what he's saying; it's not based on "liberal pieties", and he's not taking sides. As with many public policy books, he's much stronger on analyzing the problem than proposing solutions, but he is quite up-front about this. His goal is to persuade you to agree that the phenomenon he describes is a real one, and that we should think carefully about the degree to which we like or dislike this tradeoff. The writing style is utterly lucid, and no special knowledge is required to understand everything he says. I have not heard these points made anywhere else; this is truly something new. If you want to understand a lot about how politics works in the USA and its direct effects on you, read this book! | | Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life (Borzoi Books) by Knopf The Book Was Obviously Made in China | | I bought this book as new. The physical condition was awful. Groups of pages were bound at different lengths into the binder creating an edge that gave the appearance that an eight year old put it together. Or should I say, an eight year old in a Chinese forced labor camp. | | Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life (Borzoi Books) by Knopf Required Reading! | Robert Reich does an amazing job of explaining what is wrong with the American democracy--the powerful influence of capitalism. He states that companies that so many people hate like Walmart are simply successful players at the capitalist game. The problem is our laws allow them to influence the democratic process. The way to fix this problem is to pass laws, which are the rules to the game. This will get money out of politics and make companies work more for the good of people. The problem is it's in the self interest of the elected officials to keep the money game the way it is since it benefits them personally. What to do...
I think understanding his points is critical to solving the biggest problems we face in America. The problem is too many voters are watching baseball and drinking beer instead of making their elected officals accountable. | | Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life (Borzoi Books) by Knopf reich rules | | great summary of the development of American capitalism as it has changed in the 20th and 21st century. He is very clear and repeats his ideas over and over so you can't miss his logic. Excellent book for those that misunderstand the highly competitive 21st century and how we can't go back to to the almost golden years of capitalism in the middle 20th century | | Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life (Borzoi Books) by Knopf Product Description | From the greatly admired author of The Work of Nations and The Future of Success, one of America's greatest economic and political thinkers as well as a distinguished public servant in three national administrations, a breakthrough book on the clash between capitalism and democracy.
Mid-twentieth-century capitalism has turned into global capitalism, and global capitalism—turbocharged, Web-based, and able to find and make almost anything just about anywhere—has turned into supercapitalism. But as Robert B. Reich makes clear in this eye-opening book, while supercapitalism is working wonderfully well to enlarge the economic pie, democracy—charged with caring for all citizens—is becoming less and less effective under its influence.
Reich explains how widening inequalities of income and wealth, heightened job insecurity, and the spreading effects of global warming are the logical outcomes of supercapitalism. He shows us why companies, fighting harder than ever to maintain their competitive positions, have become even more deeply involved in politics; and how average citizens, seeking great deals and invested in the stock market to an unprecedented degree, are increasingly loath to stand by their values if it means biting the hands that feed them. He makes clear how the tools traditionally used to temper America's societal problems—fair taxation, well-funded public education, trade unions—have withered as supercapitalism has burgeoned.
Reich sets out a clear course to a vibrant capitalism and a concurrent, equally vibrant democracy. He argues forcefully that the spheres of business and politics must be kept distinct. He calls for an end to the legal fiction that corporations are citizens, as well as the illusion that corporations can be "socially responsible" until laws define social needs. Reich explains why we must stop treating companies as if they were people—and must therefore abolish the corporate income tax and levy it on shareholders instead, hold individuals rather than corporations guilty of criminal conduct, and not expect companies to be "patriotic." For, as Reich says, only people can be citizens, and only citizens should be allowed to participate in democratic decision making. |
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