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Carregando... The knowledge corrupters : hidden consequences of the financial takeover of public lifede Colin Crouch
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In principle the advanced, market-driven world in which we now live is fuelled by knowledge, information and transparency, but in practice the processes that produce this world systematically corrupt and denigrate knowledge: this is the powerful and provocative argument advanced by Colin Crouch in his latest exploration of societies on the road to post-democracy. Crouch shows that executives in profit-maximizing corporations have incentives to ignore or distort knowledge, especially firms in the information business of the mass media themselves, as financial knowledge increasingly trumps the other kinds of knowledge that business needs. Firms also seek to take control of public knowledge and use it for their own ends, often at the cost of other stakeholders in society. Meanwhile the transfer of similar practices to professional public services undermines professional skills and ethics - especially when these services are out-sourced to the private sector. Attempts to extricate ourselves from these problems involve reshaping the complex and often conflicting relationships among citizens, professionals, managers and financiers. This new book by one of the most incisive critics of contemporary Western societies will be of interest to a wide range of readers, from students to policy-makers and those who work in the public and private sectors. Não foram encontradas descrições de bibliotecas. |
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The book easily and convincingly demolishes the false claims of neoliberalism. Crouch still seems to believe that neoliberals would change their views if confronted with facts and better theories. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as Paul Krugman recently seems to have realized. As Game of Thrones demonstrated, knowledge is not power, power is power. Crouch's discussion and dismantling of false claims is noble but ultimately futile, as shown by the George W. Bush official who quipped disdainful about reality-based views. Crouch's book convincingly shows, what has been apparent for years now, that the Emperor is stark naked indeed.
I wish that he had mentioned ordoliberalism more as it offers a solution to most of the problems presented by the neoliberal creed. To prevent market failure such as Volkswagen's current cheating scandal, strong government institutions need to provide checks and balances to enforce rules and regulations so that a market economy can work to the benefit of the most (instead of a few oligarchs).
Crouch's examples of the failures in UK privatization schemes are heartbreaking. Instead of service improvements, the contracts are often awarded to crony companies. Good regulation is actually not that hard if aptly defended and offers huge benefits to the general public, such as a 20 USD monthly cost for a pharma dosage in the UK compared to 20.000 USD in the free market, baby! USA. Given such profit margins, politics and the government has been too weak to resist the bribes, similar to the Narco-dollars overwhelming the weak government institutions in Central and South America.
The author's praise of old school technocrats and experts is a useful corrective to the disdain shown by many neoliberals but he goes too far. Austerity is a prime case where experts went with the wrong option for the patient. In most medical systems, nurses can not perform some sensible services because the doctor lobby eagerly preserves their privileges instead of allowing a redesign of the services under a case management approach.
So a deserving quick read that unfortunately will preach to the already converted and fails to fully introduce the Anglo-American world to the concept of ordoliberalism. Perhaps, like re-engineering, it needs some American to rediscover and market an idea already described by Germans many decades ago. ( )