Corporation Nation

"A work of generous imagination that . . . lays out a sober plan of action for Americans committed to a truly just and equitable social order." —Jonathan Kozol, New York Times–bestselling author of Amazing Grace and Savage Inequalities

In Corporation Nation, Charles Derber addresses the unchecked power of today's corporations to shape the way we work, earn, buy, sell, and think—the very way we live. Huge, far-reaching mergers are now commonplace, downsizing is rampant, and our lines of communication, news and entertainment media, jobs, and savings are increasingly controlled by a handful of global—and unaccountable—conglomerates.

We are, in effect, losing our financial and emotional security, depending more than ever on the whim of these corporations. But it doesn't have to be this way, as this book makes clear. Just as the original Populist movement of the nineteenth century helped dethrone the robber barons, Derber contends that a new, positive populism can help the U.S. workforce regain its self-control.

Drawing on core sociological concepts and demonstrating the power of the sociological imagination, Derber calls for revisions in our corporate system, changes designed to keep corporations healthy while also making them answerable to the people. From rewriting corporate charters to altering consumer habits, Derber offers new aims for businesses and empowering strategies by which we all can make a difference.

"[A] thoughtful and well-informed study of modern corporations. A substantial and very timely contribution." —Noam Chomsky

"Derber's analysis and recommendations should be read and heeded by all who believe that free enterprise can be fair enterprise too." —Senator Edward M. Kennedy

"A guiding beacon for those committed to restoring democracy and economic justice." —David Korten, author of When Corporations Rule the World

"Exceptional." —Business Ethics