Pervasive Powers: The Politics of Corporate Authority

Pervasive Powers: The Politics of Corporate Authority explores the conditions for the maintenance and expansion of corporate power, focusing on empirical case studies in finance, urban policies, automobile safety, environmental risk, agriculture, and food in western democracies. It emphasizes the importance of studying temporalities, multi-sited influence, and sociotechnical tools to understand the evolution of corporate authority. The book aims to contribute to existing works on the capacity of corporations to rule the world and goes beyond analysis of the power of corporations to influence policy-making to depict their unprecedented capacity to transform and shape the social world.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

In the midst of a systemic crisis and widespread critiques of the unsustainable continuation of capitalism, Pervasive Powers: The Politics of Corporate Authority delves into the critical factors that sustain and enhance corporate power. This book explores empirical case studies across various domains, including finance, urban policies, automobile safety, environmental risk, agriculture, and food in Western democracies. By focusing on the study of temporalities, multi-sited influence, and sociotechnical tools, it seeks to renew our understanding of the immense power held by large corporations.

Drawing from a diverse range of literatures, such as research on business associations, global governance, the social production of ignorance, and corporate crime, this book aims to contribute to existing works on corporations' ability to rule the world. It extends beyond an analysis of corporations' influence on policy-making to depict their unprecedented capacity to transform and shape the social realm. Corporate organizations have emerged as powerful actors that operate across numerous social spaces, employing a wide array of strategies. They have acquired the ability to exert a pervasive influence on public policies, transcending traditional boundaries of regulation and government.

This book, compiled by contributions from historians, scholars in science and technology studies, sociologists, and political scientists, holds significant appeal to researchers, academics, and students interested in comprehending the profound impact of corporations on public policies. It is also valuable for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and regulatory agencies seeking to understand and address the challenges posed by corporate power.

Weight: 367g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367514426