The Corporation Study Guide

Avineri, Shlomo. Hegel’s Theory of the Modern State. London: Cambridge University Press, 1974.

This challenging text in political philosophy considers the place of the modern state and the corporation in Hegel’s thought. This reading is for the ambitious student interested in a reading of one of the earliest accounts of the political implications of the modern corporation.

Barnet, Richard J., and John Cavanagh. Global Dreams: Imperial Corporations and the New World Order. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994.

Taking a distinctly international perspective, this text by two fellows at the Washington DC Institute for Policy Studies focus on five large corporations as representative of five different industries. The authors argue that “various forces led by technology have created a global system that is largely ungoverned and unregulated by nation-states, resulting in negative implications for most of the world's population.” Although they share the critical perspective of The Corporation, the extended focus on these key corporations and their place in the international political system makes this book a strong complement to the documentary.

Baylis, John and Steve Smith, eds. The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations. 2d ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.

This introductory book effectively connects globalization with international relations theory, showing how changes in the international system and global politics have made many traditional approaches redundant. This is a good starting point for initiating debate about the central characteristics of globalization as they relate to The Corporation.

Bollier, David. Silent Theft: The Private Plunder of our Public Wealth. New York: Routledge, 2002. http://silenttheft.com/

This link leads to the text of Bollier’s examination of problems associated with the loss of the commons and the public good. This provides additional examples of the negative consequences of the corporate takeover of the commons.

Deetz, Stanley. Democracy in an Age of Corporate Colonization: Developments in Communications and the Politics of Everyday Life. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1992.

Focusing on the fate of democracy and democratic institutions, the wide reaching effect of corporations into our daily life is described as a new form of “colonization.” This scholarly text is highly readable and connects with the theme of the corporation as the dominant institution of our time as outlined in the documentary.

Friedman, Milton. Capitalism and Freedom. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1982.

This classic of contemporary political economy advances a radical libertarian approach emphasizing the importance of private enterprise in a free market and a reduced role of the government in the economy, prerequisites for economic freedom which will invariably lead to political freedom.

Hartmann, Thom. Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights. NY: Rodale Books, 2004. http://www.thomhartmann.com/book-extracts-up.shtml

A compelling, readable and thorough history of the relationship of corporations to democracy in America. The site allows you to link to excerpts from book chapters, as well as link to related articles by Hartmann and others.

Hegel, Georg Wilhelm. Philosophy of Right. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991.

This important text in the history of political philosophy contains one of the earliest accounts of the role and nature of the corporation. See the Third Part, "Ethical Life," section II "Civil Society," sub-section (c) "The Police and The Corporation" for an account of the relationship between political authority, the state, and the corporation.

Keynes, John Maynard. The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money. New York: Harcourt, 1936/2001.

The book that ushered in a revolution--Keynesian economics--in the way economists and men in public affairs thought about the economy, and especially how they thought about the feasibility and wisdom of public sector management of the aggregate level of demand in the economy.

Klein, Naomi. No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies. New York: Vintage, 2002.

Elaborating on the themes discussed in The Corporation, Klein’s book surveys the wide-reaching effect of the takeover of public space and disruption of democracy by a variety of large corporations, both nationally and internationally. Highly readable and sure to provoke debate, this book provides many additional accounts of the effects of advertising, privatization, sweatshop labor and discusses the anti-globalization movement.

Korten, David. When Corporations Rule the World. Bloomfield, Conn. Kumarian Press, 2001

Providing extensive documentation this dramatically-and at times polemically- written book describes the “market tyranny” that erodes democracy and drives international politics. The author is also the founder of People-Centered Development Forum, and emphasizes the importance of local control and initiatives. Connecting with The Corporation’s themes, this book offers additional models of political resistance grounded in the experience and expertise of a practitioner.

Marx, Karl. Grundrisse: Foundations of a Critique of Political Economy. New York: Penguin Classics, 1857/1973. http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1857/grundrisse/

The foundations of Marx’s intensive study of economics, this manuscript reveals the humanism and Hegelian influences that were to shape Marx’s contributions on political economy and capital.

McDermott, John. Corporate Society: Class, Property, and Contemporary Capitalism. Boulder: Westview Press, 1991.

The modern corporation is described as the institution of modern society, and modern society itself is increasingly coming to resemble the social structure of the corporation. So argues the author, who offers a critique of the post-industrial order and the illusions it fosters.

Michels, Robert. Political Parties: a Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy. Replica Books, 1911/1966.

(available online in many versions) In this classic text, Michels shows the tendency within every organization—from political parties to unions—toward the rule of the wealthy few.

Roy, Arundhati. Power Politics. Boston: South End Press, 2002.

A leading public intellectual of our time, Arundhati Roy explores the politics of writing and the price of "development" driven by profit. Roy challenges the idea that only "experts" can speak out on such urgent matters as nuclear war and the human costs of privatization.

Stiglitz, Joseph. Globalization and its Discontents. New York: W. W. Norton, 2003.

This national bestseller by the winner of the Nobel Prize, former senior official in the World Bank, and former adviser to President Clinton, focuses on the workings of key international institutions and emphasizes the importance of institutional reform in order to achieve financial stability and sustainable economic progress. Although critical of “market fundamentalism,” Stiglitz is much more subdued than The Corporation.

PBS Jim Lehrer NewsHour on Corporate Ethics
This issue of the Jim Lehrer NewsHour has a detailed special report page on recent cases of corporate malfeasance.

The Center for Corporate Policy
The Center for Corporate Policy is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest organization. This site contains information especially useful for discussion of history and legal policy.

Corporate Accountability Project
Sponsored by the Action Center, this site contains exhaustive links to resources, organizations, and activities related to corporations and local democratic politics. Includes “Guide to Researching Corporations.”

Adbusters Magazine
This magazine offers articles on various forms of political activism around the world, from “Buy Nothing Day” to “Culture Jamming.” Focusing on the erosion of our physical and cultural environments by commercial and corporate forces, this magazine links to The Corporation themes of the role of the media and advertising in the erosion of our public space.

Multinational Monitor
A monthly magazine examining the activities of multinational companies and issues relating to labor, the environment, corporate crime, multilateral banks and development. News items and interviews with government officials, executives, activists and environmentalists provide complementary and more up-to-date material to many of the topics covered in the documentary.

Our World is Not for Sale
The “Our World is Not for Sale” (OWINFS) network is a loose grouping of organizations, activists and social movements worldwide fighting the current model of corporate globalization embodied in global trading system. Connects with The Corporation themes of privatization and the loss of the commons.

The Fraser Institue
Home of Michael Walker, interviewed in the documentary, this think tank explores “Competitive Market Solutions for Public Policy Problems,” and emphasizes the importance of restricting the role of government in favor of the self-regulating capabilities of the free market. Of interest to those students looking for a perspective in opposition to the documentary.

The Cato Institute
This American think tank dedicated to “Individual Liberty, Limited Government, Free Markets and Peace” produces various publications and pursues several research themes. This link gives access to information on libertarian philosophy, economic freedom, property rights, economic liberties, and the role of government. It provides an opposing view to the role of corporations and economic activity as presented by the documentary makers.

Reclaim Democracy: Restoring Citizen Authority Over Corporations
This important website is “dedicated to restoring democratic authority over corporations, reviving grassroots democracy, and establishing appropriate limits to the realm of corporate influence.” The site also includes a link to a section on the issue of corporate personhood with links to several articles and key legal cases and groups challenging corporate personhood.