Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order

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Chomsky's critique of "neoliberalism." He argues that an international tyranny of the few has developed that restricts the arena of public expression, and allows private wealth to balloon at grave societal and ecological costs.

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In this collection of all new essays, Noam Chomsky examines the dramatic shift away from a pluralist, participatory ideal of politics and towards an authoritarian profit-obsessed model.

Customer Reviews:

Chomsky in a nutshell -- i.e., where he belongs.......2006-01-30

1) Open book; 2) the U.S. is the root cause of all bad things in the world; 3) repeat #2 until it's permanently imprinted on your brain; 4) close book. There, I've just saved you $11.

As always Noam Chomsky's books are a must read........2005-08-21

Excellent read, the author never fails to open ones eyes in his books.
Recommended highly.

Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order.......2005-04-13

Chomsky's Profit Over People is an insighful and at times shocking analysis of the true motives and practices of multinational corporations and the governement economic policies they operate within. Chomsky spares no time in hammering his message against the concentration of power in the hands of the few through the use of several detailed case studies. As a student of economics and finance at Oklahoma State University, this book caused me to step back and question the very foundation of Smith's free market theory which has comprised my studies thus far. As a reader, I became disgusted by the prospect of private interests having the ability to manipulate the world economy, government policy, and the subposively "free" press to serve their own greed-driven interests while watching the masses suffer.

Although this book succeeded tremendously in causing me to question my own assumptions and encouraged me to stand for a change, it left me wondering how to go about doing so. I feel the book could be strengthened tremendously if Chomsky had included a true conclusion in which he provides a means for change to compliment his call to arms.

A poor treatment of complex global issues.......2002-07-26

In this polemic Chomsky attacks `neo-liberalism' in international political economy. To that effect, he damns every supranational economic organisation and agreement that he can think of (the IMF, the World Bank, the World Trade Organisation, NAFTA, MAI etc.), charging them with being the agents or instruments of US multinational corporations intent on pillaging the Third World, despoiling the environment, and various other sins. The book is not so much an argument as an expostulation; and it is undermined at almost every turn by extravagant rhetoric and weak reasoning.

International political economy is - like all economics - a discipline about trade-offs and the assessment of costs and benefits. There are various criticisms that can plausibly be levelled at all of the bodies or treaties that Chomsky fulminates against, but it is important in formulating them to have a mind to what these institutions or agreements are designed for. To put mildly, the targets Chomsky denounces are not the same thing and do not pursue the same ends. It serves no purpose and does violence to critical inquiry merely to denounce them all as agents of US big business and of free-market fanaticism. The IMF, for example - a prime villain in Chomsky's account - has received much criticism from the school of free market economists that Chomsky believes it represents. These economists (see, for example, Money and the Nation State, edited by Kevin Dowd & Richard Timberlake, and published by the libertarian Independent Institute in 1998) charge the IMF with creating `moral hazard' in international lending, and wish to see the institution abolished. A different view, which I hold, is that the IMF performs a valuable service in allowing troubled economies a breathing space to sort out their difficulties, as was clearly the case with the `tequila crisis' in Mexico in 1994-5, and in fact ought to be more active in its prescriptions than it has been - consider the case of Argentina's ruinous currency peg, which the IMF was highly sceptical of and ought to have stood out against. There is room for discussion and disagreement about how far the IMF should loosen conditionality for its loans (and I am something of a dove in this respect), but these are inevitable debates about how to make effective a necessary and valuable part of the global economy.

Similarly, the World Trade Organisation has nothing whatever to do with free-market fundamentalism or US big business: it is neither more nor less than a commercial court that tries to eliminate discrimination on grounds of nationality. It is a thoroughly progressive institution whose effectiveness is greatly in the interests of the developing world, as evidenced by its first major ruling when it upheld Venezuela's complaint against a US levy on foreign petroleum producers. The World Bank, which under its current management - much to my regret - has veered very far from the cause of globalisation, went to immense lengths to support Third World socialist projects (such as the `ujaama' projects of President Nyerere's Tanzania), with extremely bad results for the impoverished peoples of the countries concerned.

To subsume these differing institutions, aims and approaches into a catch-all damnation of the machinations of big business is neither a profound nor a reliable guide to the modern global economy. Quite how Chomsky reaches his conclusions is of some interest, however, for it indicates quite a lot about the economic reasoning of the anti-globalisation movement. In short, Chomsky just hasn't acquainted himself with the normative arguments and positive findings of those he attacks; this is just not good enough in a book that aims to scrutinise the global economic order, for economics is a rigorously technical and empirical discipline, and not a matter of opinion. I give just two instances if the book's deficiencies in this respect, but they could be multiplied at great length.

Chomsky attacks the advocates of NAFTA, the North America Free Trade Agreement, for supposedly claiming the it would create jobs. In this, Chomsky has just not understood the point - a very fundamental one - about trade. The basic Ricardian argument for trade does not depend on its effect on aggregate employment (which is virtually unaffected by trade: what matters in the short run is the level of aggregate demand, and in the long run is the so-called NAIRU, or Non-Accelerating-Inflation Rate of Unemployment); trade raises not employment but living standards. The chronic poverty that has afflicted Third World nations like Tanzania under a policy of 'self-reliance' demonstrates the point.

My second instance of the weakness of this book's treatment of economics is Chomsky's throwaway reference to William Greider's anti-globalisation polemic One World, Ready or Not. The Greider thesis that Chomsky has latched on to is that there is excess supply in the global economy owing to workers' not receiving enough to buy the goods capitalism produces. This claim is absolutely untenable in theory and in practice: wages are not set abstractly, but are pinned to the marginal product of labour. To put it simply, an additional dollar of output must represent an additional dollar of income to someone. The only way the `excess supply' nostrum could hold is if you claim that the additional dollar of income goes to someone with a higher marginal propensity to save - and that conclusion requires a study of the facts. This book doesn't trouble with the facts, which are that savings rates in most industrial economies have been falling for years, while in the developing countries they have been growing less quickly than investment demand.

Enough already. Chomsky is not an international economist, and his book is depressingly short on empirical research and economic logic. Indeed the book is almost a logical fallacy itself, for it exemplifies the anthropomorphic fallacy that one may attribute personality - in this case a wicked and grasping avarice - to an abstraction, namely the `capitalist system'. At any rate, it is a poor book that does nothing to enhance its author's reputation in his chosen personal interest - far from his specialist field - of politics and economics.

As always, Chomsky is way ahead of the curve........2002-07-02

There is more concentrated political and economic truth in this one slim volume then in any other book that I've ever read. Nowhere is the war against the working class exposed more clearly and accurately. "Free Trade" is the nemesis of true democracy and of the common man. Such a policy only really favors the extremely rich and less than 1000 large global corporations. You won't hear about any of this in the corporate press however, for in the neoliberal democracy all debate is side tracked on trivial issues by two political parties who both basically represent the same corporate masters (kind of like a giant game of good cop/bad cop...)

Ever wonder why you and the people around you feel so powerless and alienated in a vast landscape of shopping malls? You didn't think that "just happened" did you? The decades old goal of the powers-that-be has been to atomise American communities into loose conglomerations of "consumers" incapable of organising, or even thinking of organizing.

If you want the hard FACTS about corporate rule, then read this book. You see, a corporation isn't merely an "immortal person" under law, they are immortal sociopaths- sociopaths backed and enhanced by state power over and above the interests and votes of the common man.

Oh yes, if you want to know how a healthy economy SHOULD function, read _I'll Be Short, Essentials for a Decent Working Society_ by Robert Reich.

Book Description

The leading text in business communication, Communicating at Work takes a pragmatic approach that features a strong multicultural focus, a heavy emphasis on effective presentations, and a pedagogical program that is designed to encourage group activities and skill building. That, plus clear writing and effective use of tables, make the text an excellent teaching tool.

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This book addresses issues related to business agility and the diffusion of Information Technology (IT). Success, even survival, in today's business environment has been made complex and difficult by technologically-based competitive pressure. One promising strategy is to be agile and ready to adapt quickly to changes in the environment or market. Such strategy takes shape as an agile software development, agile manufacturing, agile modeling and agile iterations. In contrast, successful IT diffusion is known to be a process that takes time and careful effort. Many IT projects that succeeded in developing a product have subsequently failed in changing the behavior of the target group when diffusion just didn't happen. Therefore this volume responds to the question: What is the relationship between agility and IT diffusion?

The book's scope covers information systems and technology issues, as well as organizational and managerial issues, related to agility and IT diffusion. The planned perspectives include topics such as diffusion of agile methods, enabling business agility with IT, creating agile environments that facilitate diffusion of IT, theories and frameworks for understanding diffusion and agility issues, best practices relating to business agility and IT diffusion, software process improvement and agility, diffusion studies of specific agile technologies, and impacts of diffusion of IT agile methods.

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Information Technology: Agent of Change
F. J. Murray Laver
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Culture | Business & Culture | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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Information technology (IT) is a singularly pervasive field; its applications affect people in all walks of life as few technologies do. This nontechnical and realistic overview increases the reader's understanding of the capabilities and limitations of IT. A recognized authority on computers, Laver equips the reader with sufficient information to critically evaluate proposals for new IT uses. He examines the impact of IT in particular areas and assesses its influence on people and communities. The book concludes with an agenda for anyone interested in IT systems.

Information, public empowerment, and the management of urban watersheds [An article from: Environmental Modelling and Software]

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Information, public empowerment, and the management of urban watersheds [An article from: Environmental Modelling and Software]
C. Pahl-Wostl
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Environmental Modelling and Software, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
The management of urban watersheds has been dominated by providing technological, end-of-pipe solutions to individual environmental problems. The current technological system and management schemes are the result of a stepwise evolutionary process of solving individual problems in succession. The complexity of contemporary problems requires an integrated approach to problem solving and thus innovation. However, the longevity of infrastructure and the co-evolution of management practices and technology resulted quite often in lock-in situations. The interdependence of infrastructure, rules of practitioners and attitudes of the public stabilize the system and prevent change. More flexible systems are required that are able to adapt to changes in environmental and societal boundary conditions. In this paper it is argued that this implies a shift from constructing and managing centralized technology with centralized control, towards the intelligent design of integrated environment-technical-human systems with decentralized and integrated technical systems and distributed and flexible mechanisms of coordination and control. Citizens and stakeholder groups may become active participants of the management scheme. This poses a major challenge for system analysts and system engineers.

Subjective Quality of Experience with the Internet: Accounting for Temporal Changes in User Acceptance of Information Technology

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Subjective Quality of Experience with the Internet: Accounting for Temporal Changes in User Acceptance of Information Technology

Manufacturer: Storming Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: 1423567471

Product Description

This is a AIR FORCE INST OF TECH WRIGHT-PATTERSONAFB OH SCHOOL OF SYSTEMS AND LOGISTICS report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A464533. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: Contemporary information technology (IT) related research has focused on use as a key dependent measure for valuing IT. By understanding the determinants of IT use, we gain descriptive information about successful IT, and prescriptive information for better deploying IT resources. Although there are several competing theories regarding IT use, research findings often cite their inability to account for temporal changes in usage behaviors. This thesis introduces quality of experience as a potential moderator between the determinants of use and actual usage behaviors. A pilot survey concerning Internet usage generated potentially relevant items which were later refined into a questionnaire assessing each item's relative importance to perceptions of quality of experience. Initial indications suggest 10 of the items represent a temporally stable and unidimensional construct; however, this thesis further examines several possible competing explanations for the results in order to motivate potential follow-on research in this domain. Fundamental issues concerning the measurement task limit the degree to which scale and construct validity can be assessed. Findings are also interpreted within the context of IT and cognitive/behavioral science perspectives; parallels between the obtained results and expectations based on these perspectives further provide for face validity of the quality of experience construct.

Technology and the Agents of Change.(Review) (book reviews): An article from: Australian Academic & Research Libraries

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Technology and the Agents of Change.(Review) (book reviews): An article from: Australian Academic & Research Libraries
Russell McCaskie
Manufacturer: Australian Library and Information Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Australian Academic & Research Libraries, published by Australian Library and Information Association on September 1, 1999. The length of the article is 466 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Technology and the Agents of Change.(Review) (book reviews)
Author: Russell McCaskie
Publication: Australian Academic & Research Libraries (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 1999
Publisher: Australian Library and Information Association
Volume: 30 Issue: 3 Page: 231

Article Type: Book Review

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Technology as an Agent of Change in Teacher Practice.(Technology Information): An article from: T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education)

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Technology as an Agent of Change in Teacher Practice.(Technology Information): An article from: T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education)
Mark Girod , and Shane Cavanaugh
Manufacturer: T.H.E. Journal, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education), published by T.H.E. Journal, LLC on April 1, 2001. The length of the article is 2873 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Three areas in which technology is an agent of change in teacher practice are discussed. Changes in epistemology, a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of knowledge, occur when the Internet and other technologies change the organization of subject matter and the types of knowledge included in a curriculum. Traditional textbooks sharply frame disciplines, while technology-rich classrooms tend to eliminate constraints. Other changes occur in psychology as applied to learning. Technology suggests changes in how educators think about student learning. Students are becoming consumers as well as constructors of knowledge, and teachers must view learning tasks in new ways, embracing learning activities that are unstructured and open-ended. Social and relational changes are tied to changes in psychology because issues of social politics and power arise when teachers are seen as facilitating learning rather than simply dispensing knowledge. Technology can also dramatically alter learning contexts.

Citation Details
Title: Technology as an Agent of Change in Teacher Practice.(Technology Information)
Author: Mark Girod
Publication: T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education) (Refereed)
Date: April 1, 2001
Publisher: T.H.E. Journal, LLC
Volume: 28 Issue: 9 Page: 40

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Information technology as the change agent for Transformation (Conference brief)

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Information technology as the change agent for Transformation (Conference brief)
Douglas V Johnson
Manufacturer: Center for Strategic Leadership, U.S. Army War College
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Responsibilities and Functions of Change Agents (Software Process Improvement Series)

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Responsibilities and Functions of Change Agents (Software Process Improvement Series)

Manufacturer: Institute of Electrical & Electronics Enginee
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0818668202

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NOT helpful!

Reading this book made me nuts!

I was very pleased with Mrs. Terri Simmons

Very informative and helpful.

How to Own and Operate Your Home Day Care Business Successfully Without Going Nuts!: The Day Care Survival Handbook and Guide for Aspiring Home d
Dr. Terri Simmons
Manufacturer: Amber Communications Group, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Family Child Care Contracts And Policies: How to Be Businesslike in a Caring Profession (Redleaf Press Business Series)

Start and Run a Profitable Home Day Care (Self-Counsel Business Series)

How to Start a Home-Based Day-Care Business, 4th (Home-Based Business Series)

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Start & Run a Home Daycare (Self-Counsel Press Business Series)

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Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0965506436

Book Description

This nationally acclaimed handbook and guide has shown thousands of home daycare providers how to run a business successfully, work with parents and give love to those in their care. Called the ultimate book on the most important subject facing working parents today - legal, honest and trustworthy home daycare for babies and small children, this book has over 150 pages containing information on how to build and maintain a licensed home daycare business, what agencies to contact, what forms to fill out, what licenses are needed and how to pass state inspections. You'll also learn how to promote and advertise your licensed home day care business and how to work and maintain trust, honesty and organization with the working parent and the department of children and family assistance. Our goal with this book is also to provide guidance to parents on how to select the right daycare program for their children and to know what to expect from their daycare provider.

Customer Reviews:

NOT helpful!.......2000-09-03

This book is entirely useless as a means of starting your own child care business. Any useful information was so bogged down with "true stories", grammatical errors, and religious advice that it was impossible to find. The "girlfriend" tone Dr. Simmons used becomes tiresome after the first two pages.

I was also highly insulted by the section entitled "The Main Reason Why We Do This Every Day," which depicted a large pile of money. Some of us are not in the CHILD care business just for the bucks! I would have liked more tips on daily activities for the children, and less advice on collection agencies.

Reading this book made me nuts!.......2000-05-24

I was very disappointed in this book as a whole. Ms.Simmons obvious trial and error method might inspire some made me wonder just how long did it really take her to figure it all out? The business is the care of children,and of course making it profitable. But, I found her main focus was the money. I was put off by some of her "true stories". It's very obvious she was dealing with less than the cream of society, especially the account of the 13 year old mother and her 2 1/2 month infant, a product of incest! I found these true stories not at all appealing or helpful, I don't want experiences of persons that have come and gone, especially when they were her experiences, at that time and place. Give helpful advice, not story telling! I also found this book was a "blow your own horn" of Ms. Simmons' care and concern for others, unfortunately it came out as a busy body trying to round up business! Just too much "girlfriend talk" and not enough of getting to the real reason for me buying your book!I instantly found I doubted her and equally did not trust her judgement on a subject she obviously learned along the way!

I was very pleased with Mrs. Terri Simmons.......1999-01-08

I am writing to let you know how pleased I was with Mrs. Terri Simmons's Day Care book. Her book was very informative and helpful. Mrs. Simmons is very knowledgable about the business and is very open to sharing her vast experiences. Since reading her book, my partner and I are now open for business.

Very informative and helpful........1998-12-18

I thoroughly enjoyed Mrs. Simmons book. She place pertinent information that will really help me. I found it easy to understand and I enjoyed the humor she used. I could feel that her heart is truly with children. She gave expert advice that will help those who are even afraid of starting their own daycare because they don't even know where to start. Any question that you may have Terri will answer for you. Questions that you should ask but didn't know to ask she will answer. She opened my eyes to aspects of Home Daycare that hadn't even crossed my mind. This book was fantastic and worth every penny.

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