Corporate Rule: Understanding and Challenging the New World Order

Tami Oliphant is a Ph.D. candidate in Library and Information Studies at the University of Western Ontario.

David Model, a professor of political science and economics at Seneca
College and the author of People Before Profits, has written a book
about neoliberalism and its permeating effects on our lives.

Model cuts a wide swath. He tackles the history and rise of corporate
control, critiques the parliamentary system, outlines the effects of
neoliberal policies on social programs and the environment, proposes a
more telling indicator of standard of living than the GDP (the GPI, or
Genuine Progress Indicator), argues for fair trade, and laments the
hijacking of mainstream media by the corporate elite.

Although the book’s scope is at times too vast, the author does a
good job of showing how entrenched the neoliberal agenda has become in
recent years, a fact reflected the public’s lowered expectations of
social programs. Beyond simply outlining the many problems and
implications of neoliberal policies, Model provides information
(alternatives, resources, etc.) that encourages activism. This
meticulously researched primer on the state of neoliberalism and
corporate power in Canada deserves a wide readership.