Why business won't save the world
Michael Edwards,
Mar 01, 2010
I have to agree with the author, it's time to get some democracy into philanthropy. As Sami says in D'Arcy Norma's mega-thread on TED, "Let me know when TED covers this topic." It won't, of course; TED is focused on exactly the opposite, the triumph of a privileged few over democracy. But as Michael Edwards argues, when applied to philanthopy, ownership by the private sector, with its business-driven next-quarter focus, makes things worse. "Serious questions are raised by privatising the search for solutions to global problems. For one thing, who decides which problems get attention? ... Even more troubling, corporate philanthropy deflects attention away from the need to change core business practices so that developing countries can capture more of the value added by economic development."
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