Do you think that you understand how corporations drive the global agenda? Do you know what a think tank is? If you’re like most of us, then your answer will probably be no. If you are interested in the global economy, you will consider this a must read — Suiting Themselves: How Corporations Drive the Global Agenda. Until you’ve read this book or others like it, you’ll probably never come to terms with the magnitude of these multinationals, and how big they have become.
Professor Sharon Beder, a qualified professional engineer, has assembled a comprehensive study of interwoven business connections and their socioeconomic power. This talented Australian writer provides examples, illustrations, tables, charts, and detailed lists in order to offer a better understanding to the reader. This is textbook quality, brilliantly written, and a stimulating read for the engaged observer of globalization.
Beder informs the reader about national influence groups: “The group’s primary aim was to protect oil industry interests in Texas and included men from Brown & Root, American General Insurance Company and Kerr-McGee Oil Industries, as well as the governor of Texas. Lyndon B. Johnson was also a member.”
Examples are given how business associations and ‘think tanks’ were formed in the 1970′s to drive public policy in the United States. There are many other topics that are covered, just to name a few: free trade, privatization, deregulation, global politics, big business, propaganda, and much more.
After reading Suiting Themselves, I realized how little I knew about the global agenda and the policies behind the corporate class. Professor Beder diligently defined how corporations are suiting themsleves, and how the Washington Consensus fits into the equation.
Sharon Beder is a professor in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia. Her research has focussed on how power relationships are maintained and challenged, particularly by corporations and professions. She has written 10 books, and many articles, book chapters and conference papers, as well as designing teaching resources and educational websites.
[...] If any take the time to investigate further, it would soon be discovered that the media are corporations, thus having strong ties with these global entities. Check it out for [...]