The Myth of the Good Corporate Citizen: Democracy Under the Rule of Big Business

by Murray Dobbin

Book by Dobbin, Murray

Genres: Nonfiction

330 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Teresa]

Just started, I'm on Chapter 4. The saddest sign of the times is that this book was donated to a used book sale by the local high school - it literally has not been read! If we're not politically/socially active/aware in high school when does it happen? My expectation would be this book would be falling apart from use, if not read word for word. :(...

[rabbitprincess · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was in high school I went through what I call my "angry leftist" phase: I'd read publications like New Internationalist and rail against corporate greed and skulduggery and things like that. I'm still left of centre politically but not quite as angry as before... just bitter and jaded. :P So when I picked up this book at a book sale it was like being in high school again and getting all riled up about the injustices of the world.

Well, Murray Dobbin certainly delivers in the angry department. This book lays out just how corporations infiltrate various aspects of the democratic state and eviscerate it, leaving it a shadow of its former self and disenfranchising the citizens of the country that elected officials are supposed to represent. There are abundant quotes and anecdotes, complete with some "gems" on the subject of women's so-called proper place in the world and sexual harassment in the workplace that actually made me yell at the book, I was so furious.

Anyway, this book was perfectly acceptable, but the first chapter is perhaps a bit heavy on the David Korten quoting. There were so many quotes from When Corporations Rule the World (which I've also read) that it was almost like I was reading that book instead. This book gets three stars because it took me rather a long time to get through (over two months, which for me is a long time) and it was much more depressing than other angry leftist books I've read. Even the obligatory "this is how we can make it change" chapter is pretty damn pessimistic. But still, it's worth a read. Just remember it was written about 10 years ago.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first this book seems to start as a socialist rant against corporate Canada, but as you progress it does present a great deal of eye opening information on that topic. For that alone it was worth the read. This book ends as it starts and trys to be a rallying cry for the NDP party in Canada and for anyone whose lived in Ontario in the last 20 years that idea cannnot be taken seriously.

[H Wesselius · Rating 3 out of 5]

well researched, interesting polemic on corporate influence -- a necessary antidote to the benevolent reporting in the new guilded age