The Knowledge Corrupters: Hidden Consequences of the Financial Takeover of Public Life

by Colin Crouch

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 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.

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 19, 2015

Reviews

[Dropbear123]

2.75/5

It's a short sociological and economic book about how the current economic system distorts knowledge. Mainly this is by large companies lying, controlling the media, ignoring scientific info for short term financial gain. There's also a chapter on targets in public services and how these are bad for information, as people work towards the targets above all else and will do dodgy things to reach them (police putting pressure on people to not report crimes, schools 'hiding' underperforming students so they don't affect the schools exam result).

For me it was a £3 clearance read and at that price I'm happy with it.

[!Tæmbuŝu]

Reviewed by Open Letters Monthly