Vulture Capitalism

Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts and the Death of Freedom

Grace Blakeley

$34.99

Paperback

In stock
Ready to ship

QTY:

English

Bloomsbury
12 March 2024

Marxism & Communism; Fascism & Nazism; Political structure & processes; Economics & Business; Macroeconomics; Economic systems & structures

All over the world, democracy is in crisis. Liberal political systems are straining under the pressure imposed by authoritarian strong men undermining institutions, the rule of law and the international system that governs relations between countries. Obvious examples include Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, but these issues stretch around the world from Brazil, to Hungary, to the Philippines. People see this liberal collapse stemming from ‘populist’ leaders, working class voters and rogue states. But what if the threat to liberal democracy does not come from the outside, but from within?

Liberal democracy and free market capitalism always go hand in hand – but it is capitalism that is responsible for the crisis of liberalism. In the modern world, democracy and competition have been replaced with oligarchy and monopoly. What we are left with is corporatocracy: societies governed by a tight-knit cartel of big monopolies, financiers, states and international institutions. From technology to food, healthcare to capital, the decisions made by senior execs at the top of the world’s most powerful corporations increasingly determine the conditions of life for everyone else.

In Vulture Capitalism, Grace Blakeley takes on the world’s most powerful corporations by showing how the causes of our modern crisis are a result of our capitalist system. And she shows how it is too full of contradictions for it to even be ‘fixed’ – instead, it must be replaced. Searing, explosive and extremely timely, Vulture Capitalism will upend how we relate to capitalism and the world around us.

By: Grace Blakeley
Imprint: Bloomsbury
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm,
ISBN: 9781526638106
ISBN 10: 152663810X
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 12 March 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Out of Stock Indefinitely

Grace Blakeley is a staff writer at Tribune magazine and author of Stolen: How to Save the World from Financialisation and The Corona Crash. She previously worked as a research fellow for the Institute for Public Policy Research and as the New Statesman’s economic commentator. She appears regularly in the media as a political and economic commentator, including appearances on Question Time, BBC This Week, and BBC Breakfast.

Reviews for Vulture Capitalism: Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts and the Death of Freedom

"A galvanising takedown of neoliberalism’s ""free market"" logic, one rooted as much in history as it is in current events. Blakeley’s argument is well researched, clear and devastating. Most important of all, she charts a path forward based in hope, democracy and liberation -- Naomi Klein Brilliantly exposes the lie at the heart of capitalism – that there is no alternative – and systematically demolishes the myths that bolster its power. Rigorous and forensic, this ultimately hopeful book hands us the keys to redesign our own destiny. Another world is possible – and Grace Blakeley expertly charts the roadmap to reach it -- Caroline Lucas Grace Blakeley’s excellent new book brings up to date Bevan’s insight. Capitalism, she shows by means of pertinent case studies, is the mortal enemy of freedom and democracy. A must-read for anyone keen to put the demos back into democracy -- Yanis Varoufakis"